Osun West Bye-Election: Call APC to order, PDP begs Osinbajo, IG, DSS

AGAINST the backdrop of July 8 by election in Osun West Senatorial District, Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Friday pleaded with the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ibrahim Idris and the Department of State Security (DSS) to call All Progressive Congress (APC) to order over alleged incessant violent attacks on its members.

The party said the call became necessary in view of what they termed sustained attacks on the campaign train of its candidate, Dr Ademola Adeleke.

In a press statement signed by chairman of the PDP in Osun, Hon Soji Adagunodo, which was made available to newsmen in Osogbo yesterday, the party said another round of violence broke out in the sleepy town of Ido-osun, in Egbedore local government area of the state when some hoodlums, alleged to be sponsored by the APC allegedly attacked their members and supporters, leaving many injured and properties destroyed.

He alleged in the statement that the  PDP candidate for the July 8 by-election had been incessantly attacked since the commencement of his campaign, lamenting that “the latest attack at Ido-Osun was led by a notorious thug known as ‘De Law’ where  guns, cutlasses, axes and other dangerous weapons were used on innocent party men and women in the community.

The statement reads in part, “the APC mobilised hoodlums to lay ambush for our party members when both parties were campaigning in the area and the violent attack was carried out in the presence of the instance of several officials of government, including the Executive Secretary of the council, and other government functionaries.

But, the director of publicity, research and strategy of APC in Osun, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi described the accusation of the PDP as an afterthought, claiming that the party was mastermind of violence attacks since the campaign for the Osun West Senatorial District by election began.

In press release forwarded to Saturday Tribune, he stated that the Police and other security agencies should beef up their presence at political rallies to arrest escalation of violence which is already rearing its ugly heads.

Oyatomi, who pointed accusing finger at the PDP for causing mayhem in two of its rallies at Ido Osun and Okinni in Egbedore local government area of the state averred that “the PDP had no business interfering during APC rallies in these places, except to provoke violence in order to intimidate its party supporters from active participation in the electoral process”.

“It would appear ‘the PDP knows no other way to participate in elections other than to intimidate supporters of its opponents through bloody violence. This is not in the best interest of peace, which is necessary for democracy to thrive in the state”, the release added

But, the PDP said “at the end of the one hour orgy of violence in Ido-Osun, the thugs numbering about a hundred who were transported in several vans in the entourage of Senator Mudashir Hussain, left 15 people with various degrees of injury ranging from gunshot and machete wounds.

“Three houses belonging to leaders of the PDP were damaged while the thugs seized and confiscated laptops, motorcycles, cash and other personal belongings of their victims. It is regrettable that while the violence raged, scores of police men who were at the scene of the crime watched helplessly, leaving the victims at the mercy of their tormentors.”

“The PDP in Osun state wishes to call on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of the State Security Service and the top echelon of the security services to urgently order the immediate arrest and prosecution of the said thugs as well as their known sponsors.”

“We wish to warn that failure to act on this open display of intolerance and violent attack on innocent citizens will spell doom for the peace and stability of the state as our party members may be forced to defend themselves against such violent aggression”, the statement added.