Friday, 2nd July 2021: Discordant tunes that set in earlier among the conveners of the Yoruba Nation rally slated for Lagos on Saturday seems to be fizzling out.  While Sunday Igboho told newsmen on Thursday that he has called off the rally, the Umbrella body of Yoruba Self-Determination Groups, Ilana Omo Oodua, reconfirmed on Friday that the pro-Yoruba Nation’s rally scheduled to hold in Lagos will go on as scheduled.

However, Igboho changed gear on Friday as he said the rally would be held. Speaking through a proxy - his spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, Igboho said there is no going back on the stagging of the rally.

The Yoruba Self Determination group, which is headed by a Renowned Historian and Second Republic Member of the Nigerian Senate, Emeritus Professor Banji Akintoye, made this known in a statement on Friday.

The statement made available by the group’s spokesperson, Mr. Maxwell Adeleye, was titled, “Yoruba Nation’s Rally To Hold Tomorrow in Lagos – Ilana Omo Oodua … Writes Sanwoolu, Odumosu, Says “It is the duty of Police to ensure the rally is not hijacked by hoodlums”.

Part of the statement read, “Our rally scheduled to hold on Saturday will still hold without any fear or intimidation and we promise to be peaceful like we have always been.

“We have been peaceful, orderly and lawful at everywhere we have visited, therefore, we call on the Lagos State Police Command to ensure that the rally is not hijacked by hoodlums.

“We are happy that the Police already know that hoodlums are likely to hijack the rally. Now, we call on the police to ensure such does not happen like it didn’t happen in Ekiti, Ondo, Osun, Oyo and Ogun States respectively where we’ve held our rallies.

“It is the duty of the Police to safeguard our peaceful demonstration and protect us. On our own part, we promise to cooperate with the police towards ensuring that the rally is peaceful and orderly.”

Meanwhile, Despite the Department of State Security (DSS) raid on residence of Yoruba Nation Agitator, Chief Sunday Adeyemo aka Sunday Igboho, the Yoruba Nation rally in Lagos will go on as planned.

But Lagos Commissioner of Police, CP Hakeem Odumosu warned Igboho and other agitators not to stage any rally in Lagos.

He stated that anyone caught participating or facilitating the rally would be dealt with within according to the law.

In a live broadcast on Friday morning, Igboho’s spokesman, Olayomi Koiki, explained that the rally will go as planned at Ojota, adding that Igboho will be back stronger.

He said: “I can still confirm officially that the Lagos rally in as much as whatever news or rumours you’ve been listening to from different outlets, will go as planned

The 3rd of July Mega rally will go as planned. All arrangements for the rally have been planned and nothing has changed.

“I have spoken to the organisers, nothing has changed so far. 3rd of July from exactly 9:00am in the morning. The whole arrangement and planning is going on.”

“I’ve spoken with the general Secretary of Ilana Omo Odua, George Akinola and also in the early hours before noon, I spoke with Banji Akintoye and he is working tirelessly for the release of those taken away.

“The rally in Lagos is going to be a peaceful rally, it is going to be a mega rally, do not be disturbed about what happened. So many developments took place at Igboho’s house.

“We might get a form of video from Igboho about the Lagos rally, which might be released; we’ll be deciding that in the next 24 hours.”

He added: “He (Igboho) asked me to tell you all, not to be weighed down about what happened, he is standing with the Yoruba Nation agenda”.