The ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, has chided Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, saying that he is not worthy of his office for organising such an event. This followed Makinde’s opposition meeting tagged “Operation Wetie", where all opposition converged for a summit in Ibadan, Oyo State, last Saturday. The APC described the governor’s remarks as a reckless incitement to violence.
Recall that Makinde had addressed the national summit of All Opposition Political Party Leaders, warning against what he called a dangerous consolidation of legislative power under a single party.
“For those that are carrying on as if there’s no tomorrow. They should remember that ‘Operation Wetie’ started from here. This is the same Wild Wild West,” Makinde told the gathering.
“Operation Wetie” — a kind of adage drawn from a Yoruba expression meaning “wet him” — refers to the political bloodletting that engulfed Nigeria’s western region, particularly Ibadan, in the mid-1960s.
Reacting, however, the APC, through a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, said it was deeply troubling that a sitting governor and Chief Security Officer of a state would reach for such a violent historical reference.
The ruling party claimed that such a comment is capable of triggering anarchy, murderous rage and widespread lawlessness amongst Nigerians.
The statement said, “By his incitement to violence, Makinde has shown himself to be unworthy of the high office of governor that he occupies."
It, therefore, urged security and intelligence agencies to act, while stressing that constitutional immunity does not shield public officials from accountability over statements deemed to threaten national security.
