The presidential candidate
of Africa Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, and his party members were on
Monday teargassed during a courtesy visit to the palace of the Ooni of Ife,
Enitan Ogunwusi.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that
the meeting was scheduled for 12 noon but was delayed because the monarch did
not show up until about 3:00 p.m.
Mr Sowore, Publisher of
Sahara Reporters online newspaper, protested the delay and initially refused to
prostrate to the monarch, the gesture of homage tradition demands for the
monarch according to Premium Times..
The visitors were later
tear-gassed by yet to be identified persons.
Fashoyin Adebiyi, one of
AAC supporters, highlighted that part of the victims of the teargas was one of
the chiefs, who was later driven out for medication, and a student of Obafemi
Awolowo University.
“The woman held her chest
and was later driven out in a car,” he said.
According to him, it took
the intervention of students and Mr Sowore’s supporters to salvage the
situation as everyone quickly took to their heels.
The candidate and members
of the party later gathered and proceeded to greet the king in the traditional
way.
Speaking after a
reconciliation meeting between the AAC members and the palace chiefs, Mr
Ogunwusi counselled the aspirant to be patient and tolerant.
“Leadership is like a
dumping ground, people throw different things at you. Some throw good
things,some throw bad things,” the monarch said.
“In the course of leading,
you’re going to meet brilliant people and half baked brains too. You’ve to be
patient with them,” he told the visitors.
However, Mr Sowore on
Monday evening posted on social media that he and his team were safe after the
attack.
“We are safe after the
attack at the Palace of the Ooni of Ife,” he posted.
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