Sequel to the statement credited to the former chief of staff to the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Segun Akanni, alleging threats to his life, Deputy coordinator of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Adegoke Joseph, said the former aide “is crying wolf and looking for public sympathy”.
Joseph, in his reaction said:
” Though, the police is investigating the matter, there is need for me to clear the air on the issue because of the personality involved”
Joseph, who said he had since last Thursday travelled to Asipa, his hometown in Ife, Osun State, for Eid-Fitri celebration, by the time the incident happened, said it was a ploy by Akanni to attract public sympathy since December when he was relieved of his position as Chief of Staff to Aare Gani Adams.
He explained that report reaching him about the alleged attack was that Akanni had issues with a mechanic at Gbagada Filling Station, where he went to fix his damaged car, but got into trouble with the mechanic over flimsy issue.
“I was surprised by the accusation linking me to the attack. I wouldn’t want to react to the allegation against my person, but for the name of Aare Onakakanfo being dragged into the issue, I need to speak up because the issue has nothing to do with Aare Gani Adams.
“From what transpired in the video he sent that went viral, there was a rift between Akanni and the mechanic at the workshop, and the guy drove him out of the workshop. The mechanic chased him out of the workshop, with nothing in his hand. So, how does that relate to an attempt to one’s life? The entire story was a ploy and attempt to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it”.
Joseph stressed that there is need for the police to investigate the matter properly, saying the video clip that went viral in the social media and sent by the former aide to the media was doctored, arguing that “in this age of social media, how can an assailant record an assassination attempt on his telephone? This is far from the truth”.
“For all I know, Segun Akanni is trying to bite the finger that fed him for years. He is trying to raise a false alarm. For instance, the group, a non governmental organization, behind the alarm was a faceless group and the Media Director, Ayankunle Stephen, that allegedly signed the purported statement, is a faceless person. The whole story was a trumped-up allegation designed to buy public sympathy. Segun Akanni I know is a desperado, he had made several attempts to drag Aare’s name and that of the organisation into unnecessary controversy, but the members decided to leave him because of the respect we have for our leader and the Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Abiodun Ige Adams.
“Apart from being desperate, the former chief of staff, was also full of himself. He had for a very long time overrated himself by alleging that he was the brain behind all the successes recorded by our leader which to me was not true”.
Joseph urged the police to fish out the perpetrators of the alleged attack and bring them to book.
Meanwhile, Joseph has contacted his lawyer on the issue, alleging a defamation of character.
“I do the follow up of the issue, it was an attempt to defame my personality and paint me bad in the public and I am sure my lawyer will do the needful”, he said.
