Adeolu Adeyemo – Osogbo
Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the weekend raised alarm over continuous harassment and attacks on its members by the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the State.
The party which raised the alarm in a statement by Dr Akindele Adekunle, its Caretaker Committee Chairman in Osogbo, said, “We are once again constrained to call the attention of the public to the relentless campaign of violence unleashed on members of our party and indeed innocent members of the public in Osun State by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The latest of the despicable act was the attack on Wasiu Adeleke, a PDP member in Ila local government, at about 1:00am on Saturday.”
“This attack, as with those before it, was part of a calculated plot to intimidate and scare our members and supporters ahead of the conduct of the general election. The APC are afraid of the resolve of Osun people at the poll, and want to deploy violence to make it impossible for voters to come out and exercise their franchise.”
“Such is the level of desperation of the APC whose record of misrule has caused them enormous disinterest and undisguised disaffection by Nigerians . But we must warn that there is limit to how much of this barbarity Osun people can take, and will resist this attempt to cow them.”
“This is why we have to charge the Police and other security agencies in the state to be alive to their responsibilities in ensuring the safety of our members and Osun people as a whole. By now and with all the warnings by our great party, it is expected that security agencies would have risen up to their responsibility and go after the hoodlums imported into the state by the APC.”
“Failure of the security agencies to track and apprehend criminals terrorising Osun people, particularly PDP members in the guise of election, will be devastating for the peace of the state as people will be forced to defend themselves from these mindless attacks. This is not something anyone will want and for that, the security agencies in the state should tame thugs.”
“We are therefore calling on Osun people to be at alert and stay alive to their security of their immediate community as we draw close to the general election. The show of desperation of the APC is nothing but the last kick of a dying horse that will surely be placed into the dustbin of history where they rightly belong at this time,” he concluded.
In his prompt reaction, the APC spokesperson, Chief Kola Olabisi said, “It’s a pity that the Osun PDP handlers are judging others by their own standard. It is what they are fond of doing that they are accusing others of. Dr Obawale Adewale who is humility personified is a gentleman to the core.
“Those who are scripting the allegation of sponsorship of violence against the former commissioner in the state are doing so for ulterior motives which could neither sit nor fly.
“That one Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) political thug called Sarafa Awotunde aka ‘Spain’ in Ikirun area of Osun State, was boasting and making a confession for the series of attacks against the All Progressives Congress APC members in the state is an exposition of the PDP and the sacked state Governor Ademola Adeleke that they have been sponsoring the series of attacks against our members.
“The confession and threat of attacks on the APC members is a vindication of our party that has been accusing Adeleke/PDP of being behind the violent activities that have been the usual occurrences in Osun State since the inauguration of the embattled Governor Adeleke as the state governor.
“There have been reported incidents of attacks of our members in Ede, Ifetedo, Ile-Ife, Osogbo, Ilesa, Ila-Orangun, Ikire, Apomu and other towns and villages in the State. The most pathetic and strange thing is that the state police commissioner has been looking away while our members are been unjustifiably killed and needlessly attacked.
“In a saner society, a character like ‘Spain’ should have been invited, arrested, investigated and prosecuted for his convention of promotion and masterminding violent activities in the state.”
“The Osun State commissioner of police has not, through his actions and actions, proved to discerning minds that he has not been working in cahoots with the PDP/Adeleke to oppress, suppress and subjugate the APC members in order to create unfavourable advantage for the ruling government and the PDP to the disadvantage of the APC.
“The state police commissioner should know that human beings write history everyday. He should design what he wants history to write for him. We are not deterred by the threats of attacks by the PDP and their goons. All efforts of the PDP/Adeleke to govern the state through coercion and fraudulent means shall be resisted. Osun State belongs to us all and no one will run away from another,” he alleged.
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