The crisis rocking the Oyo state chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) took another dimension on Saturday night as the governor
of the state, Seyi Makinde, left the official WhatsApp platform of the party in
the state.
The governor left the group around 10 pm on Saturday after
the Publicity Secretary of the party, Akeem Olatunji, demanded an explanation
over a viral video.
Olatunji had earlier posted a video of an attack by
suspected Fulani herdsmen on the people of Ayete, headquarters of Ibarapa North
Local Government Area of the state on the WhatsApp group.
“This video has gone viral but the authority needs to
confirm the claim. It’s very urgent to address the message.” Olatunji commented
on the video.
Reacting to the statement made by Olatunji, Makinde at
exactly 10:07 pm, said, “Every time some idiots makes (sic) a video, the
government must respond… I don’t get it really… you need mature people to make
meaningful contributions on your platform.”
The governor also went on to react to another story
regarding allegations of violence at the ongoing All Progressives Congress
(APC) membership revalidation/registration.
Olatunji had also said, “Several injured as APC members
fight over registration in Oyo State.”
Governor Makinde asked; “What is the relevance of this on
the PDP official platform?”
He then exited the platform.
His exit was followed by comments by other participants in
the group, with some saying they were disappointed that the governor could be
so intolerant.
“I’m highly
disappointed sir, we don’t expect this from you.
“Leaders who are low on accommodating may have trouble
building up goodwill with other people,” Hon Samuel Okunlade, Chairmen of
Orelope Local Government Area, Igboho, said.
But Kunle Yusuf, Special Adviser to the Governor on
Sustainable Development Goals, tackled Okunlade, saying, “Please let us stay
clear from the issue, we should be careful with the information we share on
this loop.”
One Gbade Adediran however took Kunle Yusuf up, telling him
that it is important to speak the truth to power and that people on the
platform should act maturely.
He said; “I agreed (sic) with you, but sometimes we need to
say the truth, we only need mature people on this platform, we need to respect
ourselves, Ajurawalo ti ijakadi ko.”
However, The Chief Press
Secretary to Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, on Sunday, warned
against false security alarms in the form of fake audio and video posts on
social media in the state.
Adisa, in a statement issued in
Ibadan, warned the citizens against raising false alarms on the security
situation in Ibarapaland and parts of the Oke-Ogun zone.
He equally warned purveyors of
fake information to desist from such act so as not to plunge the state into
crisis, stating that the after-effects of fake videos, false alarms and fake
news could be disastrous.
The governor’s spokesman posited
that the penchant of certain individuals, groups and faceless bodies for taking
to social media and raise unfounded alarm to cause panic among the people of
the state had become a cause for concern to the government.
He added that some unscrupulous
elements seeking to cause crisis in the state through false social media audio
and video releases as well as sponsor fake news in a section of the media were
behind the plot.
Adisa warned that security
agencies would deal with anyone seeking to cause ethnic tension, urging
residents of the state to ignore such contents.
He noted that some viral social
media video and audio messages in which false and inciting claims were made
about Ayete, Igangan and other parts of the state had been on the rise in
recent weeks.
Adisa said that some of such
unfounded posts included the claim that Amotekun Corps killed some Fulani
herdsmen, which amounted to a hoax and that imaginary 200 houses were razed by
hoodlums in Labiran, Ibadan, which was denied by the police.
He also mentioned the claim that
the insecurity situation in Ibarapa had escalated, saying that this was an
outright falsehood.
The governor’s spokesman said
that the Department of State Services (DSS) had recently released an
intelligence report that some people were planning to cause religious and
ethnic crises in Oyo and some other states.
“Our attention has been drawn to
a grand plot to precipitate unrest in Oyo State through the use of fake news in
the social media.
“This plot seeks to promote false
alarms, misinformation and sponsored fake news through audio, video and
Facebook messages and it is with a view to making the state ungovernable.
“As a government, the contents of
some of these audio and video releases have been investigated and mostly found
to be outright falsehood, baseless claims and products of hate speech,
targetted only at discrediting government and inciting people.
“The Makinde-led administration
has risen to the occasion on the issue of insecurity and we are already winning
the war against criminality, with several measures rolled out to tackle
kidnapping and banditry in Ibarapa and some parts of Oke-Ogun.
“Efforts have also been made to
tame the violent gang wars in Ibadan.
“However, our admonition goes to
members of the public across the state not to panic; do not succumb to the
sponsored falsehood, as the state government is working assiduously to arrest
the insecurity situation.
“Similarly, though the governor
has made it clear that anyone, who sees something, should say something to the
government, members of the public should ensure they are giving truthful and
factual information.
“This has become necessary so
that security agents will not be embarking on a wild goose chase, based on
wrong information,” he said.
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