IN AKURE - PROTESTERS yesterday attacked the convoy of the Ondo State governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko as the leadership crisis in the House of Assembly deepen.
The hoodlums had been protesting since Wednesday to ensure the governor did not present the 2017 budget at the twilight of his administration. Governor Mimiko, who was driving himself to inspect the International Event centre, known as The Dome, was attacked by the thugs who laid siege at the House of Assembly for the second day running.
Before he could get to The Dome, the governor needed to make a u-turn close to the House of Assembly, which is not far from the event centre. Reports had it that the protesters, who were led by an ex-officio of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Saka Ogunleye sighted the governor and ran after his vehicle.
The governor was accompanied to inspect the project by some visitors and members of the state executive council, EXCO, who were in a coaster bus that followed his vehicle.
The coaster bus and the ambulance were however unlucky as the thugs threw stones at them destroying their side screens.
The daughter of late pa Awolowo, Dr (Mrs) Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu was in the governor’s vehicle at the time of the attack.
She was a special guest of honour at an earlier commissioning of Our saviour’s Anglican caring heart mega primary school, Odigbo yesterday. The Dome was slated for commissioning before the expiration of Mimiko’s tenure on February 24.
One of his aides told Vanguard that; “All other vehicles in the convoy had gone but the ambulance, which was the last was attacked and had part of its side mirror damaged.
“The governor, who watched the drama asked his security detail not to harm the protesters who later blocked the entrance to The Dome. However, few hours after the drama, the thugs hijacked an articulated truck and used it to block the Igbatoro road, thereby preventing free flow of traffic. Attempt by policemen to disperse the mob to allow for free passage of vehicles were rebuffed as the protesters stoned the policemen who fought back.
Pandemonium ensued as the policemen shot sporadically to disperse the crowd. Many of the thugs were injured while vehicles were destroyed by the mob. Owners of shops in the area hurriedly closed their shops. For almost 20 minutes, the thugs engaged the policemen following which Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS were deployed to the scene as reinforcement. Police image maker, Femi Joseph confirmed that two vehicles in the convoy of the governor were attacked.
Joseph added that the thugs equally attacked policemen deployed to maintain peace. Meanwhile, two members of the faction that impeached the speaker may lose their seats following the move by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to implement the order of Justice Okon Abang that sacked them.
Justice Abang had queried the emergence of the lawmakers at PDP’s primaries and ordered their replacement by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The order was not carried out due to power play between the two factions of the PDP. The state police Commissioner, Hilda Harrison, also engaged the 13 aggrieved lawmakers in a shouting match when they were ordered to vacate the Assembly as the clash between the police and the thugs escalated. But the 13 aggrieved lawmakers, who had stormed the Assembly as early as 6.00am to prevent the other faction led by the sacked speaker, Jumoke Akindele, gain access, called the bluff of the police chief. Reacting, the leader of the protesters, Saka Ogunleye accused the police of shooting the protesters yesterday, saying; “We normally have our peaceful protest at the premises of Ondo State House of Assembly, just like what we had yesterday, but surprisingly, the Police officers started shooting sporadically.’’
