Oodua People’s Congress on Monday said it has removed its founder, Dr. Fredrick Fawehinmi and its National Coordinator, Otunba Gani Adams, from its fold.

The group also said it has resolved to abolish ‘factions’ that has decimated the unity of the group over the years.

While accusing both men of mortgaging the interest of the Yoruba nation for selfish reasons, OPC said the factions led by Fasehun and Gani Adams respectively was “a vain of unity and development in Yoruba land”.

According to the Congress, “the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) is now one with no allegiance to any of the two leaders for the peace, greatness and development of Yoruba Nation.”

This was contained in a communique issued and signed by the trio of OPC chieftains, Comrade Razaq Arogundade, Comrade Dare Adesope and Hon. Mutiu Balogun Ololade respectively after participating in the Yoruba Unity Retreat held in Ibadan and organised by The Yoruba Leadership and Peace Initiative.

The communique urged all Yoruba sons and daughters as well as Yoruba leaders and the entire citizens of Nigeria “to henceforth see Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, as one with no affiliation to any faction or any of the two leaders who have mortgaged the future of Yoruba Nation for their own selfish interests.”

Specifically, the communique declared that “the entire members of the group have equally resolved to relieve the erstwhile leaders, Dr Fredrick Faseun and Otunba Gani Adams, of their positions.”

“We decided to make this decision in the interest of all Yoruba sons and daughters as these two leaders have failed Yoruba Nation due to political partisanship which had been a cog in the wheel of development of Yoruba Nation,” it said.

The communique states further: “As Oodua People’s Congress, OPC, is now one; we have resolved to defend Yoruba Nation from any form of attack either internal or external attacks. Any attempt by any tribe, group or people to attack, molest or tamper with the fundamental human rights of Yoruba sons and daughters will be met with equal response from Oodua People’s Congress, OPC.

“We equally commend Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi (III) for clarifying the controversy making round on the instalment of new Aare Ona Kakanfo. The position of the first class Oba on the issue has shown that the royal father is an upholder of merit as the position is not for charlatans and morally bankrupt individuals.

“The entire members of Oodua People’s Congress, OPC equally condemn some persons of questionable characters who have been parading themselves as the next Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land. As such misleading members of the public.”

However, in its response, the Lagos State Coordinator of the OPC, Alhaji Mutairu Adeshina said the dismissal of Otunba Gani Adams from OPC is nothing but a huge joke.

According to Adeshina, the recent allegation that a set of people have come together to harmonise OPC as a body is a statement from dreamers and jesters.

“The statement coming from these set of people expelled from Otunba Gani Adams-led Oodua Peoples Congress in 2015 is a tissue of lies and a fabrication of what they dream of.

“How can they claim to have expelled Otunba Gani Adams from a body he started and today is the most visible and vibrant body? They should come out and tell me their grouse.

“Is it the fact that in Yorubaland, Otunba Gani Adams remains one of the prominent figures? Is it because people are suggesting that Otunba be given the mother of all Chieftaincy titles which comes with a huge sacrifice to the holder and a prominent Chieftaincy title to be given a Yorubaman?

“Is it about the fast growing progress of Oodua Progressive Union OPU already on 78 countries and still growing? Is it their lack of will to even come up with a Yoruba ideology that they represent that is their problem? We heard that Razak Arogundade calls his group New Era, and Dare Adesope calls his OPC Reformed, why are so desperate to push a vibrant leader away?

“In the field of music, football and even struggle, there are various interests, and they all work to defend their interest. What have they done as individuals? How many members do they have? Is it the cultural promotion that Olokun Festival Foundation is championing in the last 17 years? Or the recent success of the raiding of Badoo hotspots in Ikorodu via joint action with Nigeria Police and other stakeholders?

“Where is their office, where do they operate from, let them come out with pictures of their members.

“Otunba Gani Adams is too focused to be distracted by these bunch of clowns, this is just to warn the general public that they are nonentities who don’t have anything to do with their lives than being tools in the hands of desperate politicians and land grabbers. They have been dismissed since 2015 and they remained dismissed,” he said. (Independent)

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