(https://youtu.be/8_lTCvuhzr0)
This video made by a concerned brethren in Ogun state, is a fantastic watch as it tries to answer some of the socio-political issues that have been engulfing our state for decades. The narrator did a wonderful job going down memory lane. However, some of the assertions are wrong. Unfortunately, they remain the only truth available to the good people of Ogun state.
For posterity sake, it is important to set the record straight.
The general believe that Governor Abiodun gave OGD back his hotel and properties seized by former governor Amosun is not factual.
At the heat of Amosun’s battle against OGD , he revoked the Cof O to some properties owned by OGD. OGD then went to court and got judgment asserting his ownership of those properties having bought them from his sweat as a private businessman. Part of those properties is the Conference Hotel, Abeokuta.
But rather than obey the judgment of court, Amosun detailed police officers attached to him personally to lock up the hotel. OGD being a man of peace did not confront the action as doing so would have escalated the issue.
So when Amosun government ended and the security officers that were under him were no longer answerable to him, OGD went back to the hotel and took charge of it as directed by the court.
It is important to note that Gov Dapo Abiodun up till date has refused to reissue the C of O revoked by Amosun on all OGD’s properties.
Governor Dapo Abiodun did not play ANY role directly or indirectly in the court judgments that exonerated OGD during his trial with EFCC. In fact, Gov Abiodun, played a siddon look on the case throughout the proceedings. It is not that he could have done anything as he lacks the constitutional power to do so, but at no point in time did he show concern about the unjust trial.
After a trial of over ten years (eight years in SIA administration and two years in Dapo Abiodun’s government), OGD won his case with EFCC with no help from any human but God, the protector of all oppressed and victimized.
Out of the 32 different counts, the Ogun State court knocked off 15, and the other 17 were knocked off at the court of Appeal in a unanimous judgement where OGD was discharged and acquitted and the Appeal court did not spare the EFCC for wasting everybody’s time by wrongly charging an innocent man who committed no offence.
Lastly, the idea that Dapo Abiodun supported and gave OGD the senatorial ticket is farther from the truth.
It is on record that Gov Abiodun initially supported his SSG Talabi for that position against OGD and when he was told Talabi lacks the political clout, he opted for Oduntan but again, he realized that Oduntan lacks the needed strength to wrestle the ticket with OGD and so he decided to pitch his tent with Lekan Mustapha at the final hour.
Till the day of the primary and against all wise counsel, Gov Abiodun stuck to his gun to support Lekan Mustapha. But after five local governments have voted out of nine and field report showed that the result was going to be a disgraceful outing for the governor, DA placed a call to Awujale to quickly organize a meeting at the Palace and ‘beg’ Lekan Mustapha to step down.
It was merely a face saving endeavor as the die as at then was cast already. While at the meeting with Awujale and without any knowledge of what was being discussed, the remaining local governments voted.
It is then safe to say that OGD won that ticket fair and square without any intervention.
It is important the record is set straight in view of the recent revisionists who are trying to rewrite events that happened right in front of us.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
