Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, yesterday, directed the Caretaker Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Gboyega Famodun, to discontinue the case instituted against some chieftains of the party who are loyalists of Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.

Oyetola, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, directed Famodun to withdraw the matter as demonstration of his love for peace.

The governor, according to the statement, had summoned an emergency meeting of the party stakeholders and insisted that as members of the same family, whatever differences that existed could be resolved without necessarily resorting to litigation.

Consequently, Oyetola directed Famodun to withdraw the complaints and take necessary measures to discontinue the matter. The governor, who sympathised with individuals that sustained injuries during the said invasion, further condemned the invasion and appealed to party members not to resort to self-help whenever there are disagreements among them.

“The invasion of the party secretariat by armed thugs stands condemned as no sane society will condone resort to self-help in settling disagreements within a family.

“But as the governor, I have directed the party chairman to discontinue the matter in the interest of peace and harmony within the party,” the statement stated.

The chieftains, arraigned on Monday before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Osogbo by the police included a former Chairman of the party and the incumbent Chairman of a caucus in the party, The Osun Progressives (TOP), Revd. Adelowo Adebiyi; Caretaker Secretary of the party, Rasaq Salinsile; former Commissioner for Works and Transports, Kazeem Salami; former Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Special Needs, Biyi Odunlade; former Special Adviser to the Governor on Taxation, Gbenga Akano; a member of the APC in Ilesa, Alaba Popoola and another member, Azeez Adekunle.

They had been enmeshed in crisis with other leaders of the party, said to be loyal to Governor Oyetola. They were accused of assaulting two persons, Muideen Ajetunmobi and Usman Lekan, said to be loyalists of Oyetola at the APC secretariat, Ogo-Oluwa area, Osogbo, on August 14, 2021.

They were later released on bail by Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara. Their arraignment followed the crisis that broke out at the party’s secretariat when some aggrieved party members thronged the office to submit their petitions to the ward congress appeal committee.