Osun PDP, APC in verbal war over Saturday’s House of Assembly election
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday exchanged accusation and counter accusation over Saturday’s House of Assembly election in the state.
While the PDP alleged that former governor of the state, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola and the National Secretary of APC, Iyiola Omisore were planning to create mayhem across the state on Saturday, the opposition party not only debunked the allegation, it accused the ruling party of the plot to deploy fake soldiers and police to harass, arrest, maim and kill its members and supporters.
Acting PDP Chairman, Dr. Adekunle Akindele, in a statement in Osogbo, called for the arrest of both Oyetola and Omisore and former Commissioners for Works, Remi Omowaiye and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Adebayo Adeleke for their alleged roles in foisting political violence on the state.
Akindele noted that the APC leaders held a secret meeting at Tinubu campaign office, Osogbo between 6:30pm to 9pm on Thursday evening, where plans were hatched to cause mayhem in the state on Saturday.
“We reliably gathered that the meeting drew up plans to attack PDP strongholds on Saturday using fake policemen already imported into Osun State and distributed across strongholds of the PDP in the state. The meeting penciled down 25 state constituencies known as PDP strongholds to bombard with sporadic gunshots, abduction of leaders and outright assassination where necessary,” he said.
He further alleged that at the meeting they agreed to lay siege on Ede Federal Constituency, the home of the state governor and put Ife and Ijeshland on lockdown through violent attacks on PDP leaders and supporters.
Akindele stated that the ultimate goal of the duo of Omisore and Oyetola was to scare voters away and ensure maximum disruption of Saturday’s electoral process.
APC in its reaction, faulted the allegation describing it as a mere conjecture fabricated by the apparently confused PDP handlers in order to sell a dummy to the security agencies.
Acting Chairman of the party in the state, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, in a statement by Director of Media and Information, Chief Kola Olabisi in Osogbo, indicted the PDP leadership of judging the APC by their own standard of corner cutting at any slightest opportunity.
Lawal said: “It is shameful that it is the same PDP that has secured the order of the Federal High Court, Osogbo to restrain the police from inviting, arresting and detaining their political thugs they fraudulently portrayed as the leaders of their party ahead of tomorrow’s elections.
“Assuming without conceding that Oyetola and Omisore held a meeting on the fortune of their party, when has it become illegal for two leaders of the leading political party in the state to meet?
“The allegation is a load of bunkum characterised by the figment of the imagination of its peddlers.
“The allegation does not add up as it would be recalled that it is this visionless and rudderless Osun State PDP leadership that copiously reported on the social media about two weeks ago that Oyetola and Omisore had become sworn enemies!
“These thoughtless handlers are palpably worried as the short-cut to their dubious and pyrrhic election victory has been blocked.
“We are not unaware of the plot of the state PDP to deploy fake soldiers and police tomorrow to harass, arrest, maim and kill our members and supporters.
“The police should be in the know of the fact that the Osun State chapter of the PDP is accusing the APC of what the ruling party is planning to do tomorrow.
‘The PDP’s accusation of Oyetola and Omisore should be consigned to the thrash can as it lacks substance, truth and it’s misplaced and diversionary.”
