General News | 11 January 2006 05:27 CET

Obasanjo bans son from talking to press …Yoruba obas intervene

The last has definitely not been heard about the damning interview of Dr. Gbenga Obasanjo, son of the president in which he took Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, to the cleaners, labeling them corrupt and without honour.

President Olusegun Obasanjo was so highly incensed by the interview that he was said to have ordered that his son be literally bundled out of his Ota farm two days ago particularly for castigating the vice president.

Daily Sun learnt that as soon as he set his eyes on his son in Ota after the interview was published, President Obasanjo asked him: "You mean you actually granted such an interview?"
In a fit of anger, he was said to have ordered Gbenga out of the farm house with a stern warning that he be bundled out in the event of his failure to obey.
Dazed, Gbenga was said to have headed to the palace of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona as well as made contacts with some other obas to help pacify his father over the matter which is currently making waves all over the country.

In a swift manner, the traditional rulers were said to have swung into action, pleading with the president to temper justice with mercy and forgive the indiscretion of the young man.
It was at the peace meeting that an agreement was reached for Gbenga to look for possible ways of quenching the fire which his outburst has ignited in the country as a prelude to his father's forgiveness.
"That was how he had to go in search of a lawyer, who immediately denied that Gbenga ever granted the interview to Omoyele Sowore, pointing that there was no way he could have uttered such statements credited to him against people of such high caliber in his father's administration.

In a letter written to the editor of The News magazine, his counsel, S.O. Ajayi, accused the reporter of acting in a most unprofessional manner by allegedly embellishing and publishing what was meant to be a private discussion which Gbenga had with the reporter last December while on their trip from Seme to Lagos.

Before the meeting rose, it was gathered that President Obasanjo slammed on his son a ban from further talking to the media, which Gbenga was said to have vowed to maintain.

Daily Sun

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