Tribunal: LP warns Agagu over threat to Journalists
… berates N20 Million jamboree on welcome visit

Olusegun Agagu

Worried by the verbal attacks and threat of physical assault issued to journalists covering the on-going proceedings of the petition against the phantom victory of the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Agagu at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Akure by aides of Dr Agagu last week, the Labour Party (LP) has called on the embattled governor to rein in his people and allow the press to do their duties unmolested. This is coming just as the Party condemned in strong terms the spending of N20million Ondo State tax payers’ money on the welcome party organized by the PDP for Agagu on his arrival to Nigeria from Britain on holiday in Lagos last weekend.

For projecting the true position of the Tribunal’s proceedings to the whole world despite several subtle attempts to kill such stories, Journalists had a raw deal in the hands of angry aides of Governor Agagu last week at the opening session of the definite hearing in the suit filed by LP’s flag bearer, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko against the purported victory of Agagu. Mimiko is praying the Tribunal to declare him the winner instead of Agagu as he won the April14 election before it was rigged for Agagu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agents.

In a release issued by the LP’s Director of Press, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, who himself was threatened by the aides of the Governor of grievous bodily harm, the Party flayed the open assault given in full public
glare to the reporters of the PUNCH newspapers, Mr. Femi Makinde, the NATION Reporter, Mr Foluso
Ogunmodede who was brought to the State specifically to cover the Tribunal’s proceedings, The NTA crew led by Mr. Tony Ogunkua as well as reporters of other national and local newspapers whose articles were termed too harsh on the case of their boss (Dr Agagu).

The verbal assault and threat were given by two Personal Assistants to the Governor who openly boasted that they would ensure that the reporters are driven out of the State if they refused to cooperate. Says Olabisi: “We have said it countless times that Dr Agagu should allow the Tribunal to determine who won the April 14 election in Ondo State rather than intimidating innocent people. First, it was the harried people of Ondo State that were the victims of Agagu’s rampaging henchmen who killed, maimed and intimidate them with impunity. Now it is the Journalists. And what is their offence? Writing the truth as it is emanating from the Tribunal which is systematically striping Agagu of the garb of lies
which he robed himself with since April 14 when he rigged the election and stole the peoples mandate
freely given to our Party and Dr Mimiko.

“Our appeal to Dr. Agagu is for him to call his goons to order and allow the journalists to do their jobs unmolested if truly he has nothing to hide as he has been telling the whole world with bravura.”

On the N20million spent on Agagu’s welcome party in far away Lagos, the LP’s spokesman stated that the development was in the very character of the Agagu’s administration of spending the State’s hard earned money on personal jaunts and frivolities while the people who it had sworn to protect go to bed with rumbling stomachs.

“While Agagu and his acolytes are carousing in lovely hotels in Lagos the people go to bed hungry. The roads are begging to be repaired, water has ceased to run in the streets of Ondo State, the farmers, artisans are neglected, yet they waste scarce resources. It was for this reason that he was massively voted out by the people on April 14 before he stole their votes with gun tottering youths all over the State. But soon, very soon, judgment would be done when he is kicked out by the court,” Olabisi assured.

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