-Yoruba Leaders Urged To Disregard Adams As OPC Leader
The crisis rocking Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC took a new dimension on Wednesday as coordinators
from 14 states have disowned the embattled National Coordinator of the group, Otunba Gani Adams.
The coordinators who addressed journalists at the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ibadan passed a vote of no confidence on Gani Adams and urged Yoruba leaders in the south Western States of the Federation to stay away from Gani Adams who they accused of misrepresenting the
interest of the Yorubas.
Coordinators from the seven out of the 14 states where the Oodua People’s Congress [OPC} exists in the country equally supported the immediate removal of Otunba Gani Adams as its National Coordinator.
The coordinators who thronged the NUJ with thousands of OPC members expressed their displeasure at the tyranny and self centered leadership style of Gani Adams. While enumerating the various allegations leveled against Gani Adams, the coordinators alleged that Adams has turned OPC to his personal business and that he lacked respect for Yoruba leaders and elders who are in politics; while also stating that he lacked accountability.
Comrade Rotimi Akinsowon , the Coordinator of Ondo State who spoke on behalf of other coordinators also listed extortion and collection of N9 billion from the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan as part of the allegations which according to him is enough to remove him as OPC leader .
“We are fully aware that he took money from former President Jonathan on behalf of the members but none benefited from the empowerment scheme he promised our members. He still collected seven thousand five hundred naira (N7, 500=00) from all of us to facilitate the
empowerment.
“It is saddened that he has been using the sweat of our members to promote his Oodua Progressive Union (OPU). We therefore seize to recognize him as our leader; he should step aside in peace now”.
State coordinators from Kwara, Comrade Moruf Olanrewaju, Chief Adeagbo Adeola, Oyo, Rotimi Akinsowon, Ondo, Hammed Ologburo, Bayelsa, Hakeem Olawale Agboola, Delta , Yekini Salaudeen , Sokoto and Alh. Rasaqi Ogunsanwo from Kaduna States participated in the press conference while others were said to have sent their solidarity to the cause.
The NCC also alleged that Gani has failed to give autonomous power to the States, and that he should come out to explain to the public how he spent the N9billion he took from Jonathan on behalf of the group.
While speaking on the development, the spokesman of the National Coordinating Council of OPC, Comrade Adesina Akinpelu said that NCC was in support of the coordinators.
“It is good that the states coordinators have equally seen what NCC had seen about a year ago that we started the awareness to persuade Gani Adams to resign honorably because of abuse of office”. Akinpelu added: “Now that virtually all states coordinators have dumped him; he should do the honorable thing by resigning his position as National Coordinator”.
Speaking further, Akinpelu stated that it is now totally over for Gani Adams because according to him, even in Lagos NCC controls major local government areas of the State. Efforts to reach Otunba Gani Adams proved abortive as calls put through to his phone were not answered as at the time filling in this report.