Osun 2018: Approval granted APC to hold mega rally same day with us unhealthy, SDP petitions AIG

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has raised a red flag on a permit granted the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to hold its mega rally in Osogbo on the same day it said the state police authorities had approved for SDP to hold its own rally, also in Osogbo.

This was contained in a petition forwarded to the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, Zone 11, comprising Osun, Oyo and Ondo states, Mr Danjuma Muhammed Ibrahim, entitled: “Approval of Rallies in the same City of Osogbo, in Osun State for SDP and APC for Thursday 6th September, 2018,” a copy of which was forwarded to the Nigerian Tribune in Osogbo.

In the petition signed by the Osun State chairman and state legal officer adviser of the SDP, Dr Bayo Faforji and Barr Yemi Adetise respectively, the party expressed its fear hinged on “the implication having two major mega rallies of two major political parties and two major candidates in the gubernatorial contest in Osun State, in the same major city of Osogbo.”

According to the petition, SDP posited that “our attention was drawn to the approval given by the state Commissioner of Police for the mega rally of All Progressives Congress (APC), in Osun State, having granted our party the approval to hold mega rally of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the same Thursday, September 6th, 2018.

“Having established this fact, the party investigated from office of the Commissioner of Police, where it was confirmed that the same approval has been granted to the All Progressives Congress (APC), while our own i.e, Social Democratic Party (SDP) is the first in time to be granted.”

The SDP contended that such a development had its “attendant negative implications, having regards to the fact that it is conventional that parties rallies are staggered to always avoid conflict of interest on the same day,” noting that “approval are given to parties on first come, first serves basis.”

When contacted over the development and as at the time of filing this report, the telephone line of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO, Mrs Folasade Odo rang out without a response.

The Osun State governorship election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 22, 2018.