By YEKEEN YAQUB
Worried by the spate of introduction of violence to the political firmament in Edeland by some political hoodlums loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before, during and after the presidential and National Assembly elections, the leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in both Ede-North and Ede-South Local Government Council Areas of Osun State have stated that such anti-social conduct is antithetical to the ethos of genuine democracy.
According to a statement issued by Dr Muftau Oyewale, the APC Apex Leader in Ede, for every violence visited on their party members before, during and after all elections in any part of Osun State, it must be stated that the buck stops on Governor Ademola Adeleke’s table who happens to be their kinsman.
Oyewale disclosed that it is on record that before the governorship election in the state, the political thugs who were doing the bidding of the PDP leaders attacked, maimed, suppressed, oppressed and in some cases, killed some of their members.
He said that as if that was not enough, the violence unleashed on their innocent members by the PDP thugs immediately the result of the governorship election was announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in favour of Governor Adeleke, the tempo of the needless attack of their members by the PDP hoodlums in Edeland was increased to the extent that the secretariats of their party in both Ede-North and Ede-South respectively were destroyed and burnt down by the PDP thugs who were not playing politics according to the humanly acceptable rules of the game.
Oyewale stated that the attack on their members was further intensified immediately the governorship tribunal upturned the victory of Governor Adeleke few weeks ago.
In his words: “During the melee, millions of naira worth of official items of our party were destroyed by the PDP thugs which has now become a routine as our members have become objects of attacks at will on the instruction of the PDP leaders in our ancient town for being members of the APC.
“Some members of our party sustained various degrees of injuries inflicted on them by the rampaging PDP thugs who destroyed the office of the party, vehicles, motorcycles and other valuable office equipment.
“It is worrisome and shameful that our members could become objects of attacks in the hands of the PDP hitmen as if it is criminal for us to exercise our inalienable fundamental human right of belonging to a political party of our choice. Coercion and compulsion are alien to democratic norms.
“The fact that the state governor emerges from our community should not be a licence to outlaw the existence of other political parties.
“Our unpallatable experience during the Presidential and National Assembly elections is the last straw. One of the leaders of our party was brutalized and abducted with the sole aim of killing him but he was able to escape by the whiskers. His name is Hon. Lawal Nureni a. k.a. ‘Alagunmu’. His offence was because he refused to sign a result sheet that contained evidence of over-voting.
“At the end of the elections where there was no level play ground, all the PDP candidates were fraudulently declared the winners by the INEC which role during the time gave room for discerning minds to doubt the claim of neutrality in the said elections.
“We were worried the more because the police who were supposed to maintain peace, decorum and order were looking away. There is even a particular PDP House of Assembly candidate who goes about with no fewer than two police escorts in the Ede community, boasting that he would be returned to the Assembly by hook and crook means.
“In the build-up to the House of Assembly elections on Saturday, we are imploring
the duo of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 11 Headquarters and the state commissioner of police and other sister security agencies in the state to come to the aid of the APC members and leaders in Ede who are being hunted by the PDP thugs in order to prevent them from taking part in the elections.
“We are not saying that the police should favour our party in any way but to create an enabling environment that would enable potential voters to vote for the candidates of their choice in line with the dictate of democratic rules.
The police should address promptly and frontally the prevailing existence of the too many illegal firearms and ammunitions in the state which makes death to be the cheapest since the inauguration of the administration of Governor Adeleke.
We have visited the Kabiyesi, the Timi of Ede and Ede Descendants Union to express our concern for the safety of our party members and voters alike.
“They promised to engage the leaders of both parties and make them sign a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) for a peaceful conduct of the election.
“For Ede to continue to develop in leaps and bounds, there is need for peace and tranquility while any indigene of Ede has the constitutional protection to be a member of any political party of his choice without let or hinderance. Anything short of this shall be vehemently resisted this time around as we are all free born indigenes of our ancient town and no political party has a monopoly of violence. We say no to politics of violence, coercion and victimization.
“There are PDP members in Iragbiji, the native town of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, and there have not been incidents of persecution, attack, maiming and killing of the PDP members and leaders in the ancient town. Why should our own plight be different?”, the apex APC leader asked.
