The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde, and his African Democratic Congress (ADC), counterpart, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, have reacted to the Saturday’s attack on the campaign train of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the state, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu.
DAILY POST recalls that no fewer than two people died, while several others were injured when the campaign train of the APC candidate was attacked Saturday evening.
But, Makinde while speaking, called on the state Commissioner of Police and the Director of State Security Service to as a matter of urgency summon an emergency meeting of leaders of all political parties on current security situation in the state.
Makinde, while condemning the action, added it was unfortunate that his own campaign train was also attacked in Ojoo area of Ibadan, last week.
The PDP candidate in a statement signed by Prince Dotun Oyelade, his Media Aide, alleged that the government who should enforce peace and the Governor who should be the Chief Security Officer have abandoned their roles and become partisan.
Makinde in the statement obtained by DAILY POST Monday morning, said that security chiefs must take his advice seriously because thugs of the government party, the APC, are getting bolder, more desperate and audacious with each passing day having realised that electoral defeat is imminent.
He said, “What is more worrisome is the threat of attacks on harmless supporters who are not necessarily card-carrying members of our party but who simply want change and better governance.”
Lanlehin, on the other hand while condemning attack, urged the state police command to beef up security around the political parties especially the opposition parties.
The ADC candidate in a statement signed by the party’s Director of Public Communication, New Media and Tertiary Institution, Engineer Akeem Olatunji, a copy, which was made available to DAILY POST said, “it is frightening and disheartening that it is the party in government that is unleashing terror on people that it supposed to protect”.
Olatunji said, “ADC called on Commissioner of Police, Director of Department of State Security (DSS) and other security agencies to beef up the security and call the APC into order.
“One of the major responsibilities of state is to protect its citizens but it was saddened that same government is the one terrorising and killing its citizens. This Eruwa fracas was like fifth one recorded by APC either by attacking opposition parties or faction within the party like the one witnessed in Igbo-Ora and Omi-Adio.
“We want to use this medium to appeal to Commissioner of Police, Director of DSS and other security agencies to beef up security around citizens of the state and opposition parties because with all these attacks everywhere, we are not feeling safe and comfortable anymore. It baffles me or how do we explain this scenario, there are lots of road construction projects going on in the state in the last seven years which it is very clear that this government cannot complete before the expiration of its tenure.
“Also, the state government still owing all the state tertiary institutions’ workers about 18 months salary arrears without any concrete agreement or arrangement on how to pay them. Despite these, Governor Ajimobi knowing fully that his party would loss in the February 16 Presidential election and March 2 gubernatorial elections went ahead to award another road construction, which was another plot to siphon state money and diverted it to already lost election.
“It is evident that people of the state have rejected APC in the state which could be seen the way people walked out of Governor Ajimobi at Liberty stadium during campaign rally of South West Women wing of the party penultimate week in the presence of the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Dolapo Osinbajo. In order to get substantial amount of money to woo electorates during the elections, the governor in haste went ahead to award road projects in Ibarapa and Apata area in Ibadan, the state capital.”
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