The Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, New Era has disassociated itself from the Oke-Badan festival purportedly organised by Gani Adams at the Cultural Centre, Ibadan on Saturday.
The Group in a press statement signed by Adeshina Akinpelu and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday stated that it had nothing to do with what it called ‘Kangaroo Oke-Badan’ festival held by Gani Adams at the Cultural Centre in Ibadan on Saturday.
“Our attention has been drawn to a ‘Kangaroo Oke-Badan’ festival purportedly held by some lawless, disgruntled OPC members at the behest of its morally bankrupt ousted leader, Gani Adams at the Cultural Centre in Ibadan on Saturday.
The statement added: “Ordinarily, we would not have reacted to such sham called festival if not for the purpose of setting the record straight. It is true that OPC had in the past participated in Oke-Badan festival; but OPC was barred from participating from this year’s festival because the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, CCII, decided that it would henceforth organise the festival which is an Ibadan affair and does not want any non-indigene or stranger to hijack the yearly cerebration of Oke-Badan festival.
Akinpelu added: “It however came as a rude shock to us that after all security agencies in Oyo state and also the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes have barred OPC from participating in this year’s Oke-Badan festival; Gani Adams and his fellow lawbreakers still went ahead to organise their own ‘Kangaroo Oke-Badan festival without the approval or involvement of any Oke-Badan stakeholder. They claimed to have gotten their approval after original Oke-Badan festival has been held through the involvement of the chieftain of National Union of Road Transport Union, NURTW in the State and the State Governor Senator Abiola Ajimobi. We believe this is not true because it will only take a ‘bastard’ who is not an Ibadan indigene to give Gani Adams approval to hold another Oke-Badan festival after the original festival had been held and concluded.
The Group added that whoever that gave Gani Adams’ approval to hold another Oke-Badan festival after the original festival had taken place on Wednesday is not only a ‘bastard’ but should be held responsible for the breakdown of law and order reported prior to the hosting of the original Oke-Badan festival on Wednesday by the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes, CCII and Aboke family.
“Let us even ask Gani Adams and his fellow nonentities if it is possible to cut somebody’s hair in his absence? “Oke-Badan festival without Aboke of Ibadan”. Of what significance is such festival? We want all security agencies to investigate if it is true that these miscreants parading themselves as OPC members actually got approval for the ‘Kangaroo Oke-Badan festival and whoever that gave such approval or aided the approval given to Gani Adams must be held responsible for the mayhem reported in some parts of Ibadan on Tuesday night.”