Osun West bye-election: PDP, APC trade words over alleged attack on Adeleke’s campaign

Ademola Adeleke

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressive Congress(APC), in Osun, on Monday expressed divergent positions over the weekend’s alleged hoodlums attack on the campaign train of the former’s flag bearer in the July 8 bye election for Osun West Senatorial District, Dr Ademola Adeleke.

While the PDP in a statement signed by its state chairman, Soji Adagunodo affirmed that armed thugs and miscreants suspected to be members of the Osun APC allegedly attacked the campaign train of the Adeleke at Gbongan and Odeomu in Ayedaade Local Government Area of Osun state, the APC described such accusation as unfounded and laughable.

The PDP contended that trouble started when Adeleke got to Gbongan as part of his visitation to the party members when thugs in large numbers attacked the campaign train.

According to the statement, “The thugs who came with various dangerous weapons damaged vehicles and injured people. But luck ran out on them as the people of the town came out in large numbers to resist the violent attack.”

It would be recalled that Adagunodo had raised alarm that members of the APC in Osun State were planning to unleash terror on the campaign train of the PDP candidate for the forthcoming Osun West bye-election slated for July 8, saying that APC allegedly imported thugs into the state ahead of the election.

Reacting to the accusation of the PDP, the Director, Publicity, Research and Strategy of APC in Osun in an email message to Tribune Online on Monday said “the PDP is desperately looking for attention, albeit negative.”

He stated, “The good people of Osun State know full well a violence-prone political party. Since we berthed in the state in 2005, we knew what we suffered in the hands of these brigands; until Aregbesola’s administration came in 2010 and put a stop to the wanton destruction of lives and property.

“They will commit crime and blame another for it. PDP remains the same old merchant of violence and bloodletting and nothing new will emerge from this People’s Destruction Party,” Oyatomi asserted.