The Oyo State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday said politicians who promoted violence within the party are now in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
PDP said instead of the state chapter of APC to rejoice over the defection of some politicians in the state, it should “prepare for violence within”.
Publicity Secretary of PDP, Engineer Akeem Olatunji, while speaking with journalists noted that “former governor of the state Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala, his Deputy, Alhaji Taofeek Arapaja, former Senate Leader, Teslim Folarin and others, who recently decamped into the ruling APC, were among politicians who made the Oyo PDP to be notorious for violence then”.
Olatunji revealed that the “Oyo PDP was happy to do away with such violent politicians, saying the carnival like rally organised to welcome the people into the Oyo APC negated the claim of Governor Abiola Ajimobi of the state that his administration has zero tolerance for violence”.
He maintained that “the exit of Akala, Folarin, Arapaja and others from the Oyo PDP has made the political party violence free, as witnessed during the congresses held recently by the political party”.
Olatunji pointed out that former Governor Alao-Akala, who led the decampees into the ruling APC, did not hide their violent nature when he publicly declared during the event which took place at Mapo Hall that he used to harass Chief Akin Oke, the state APC chairman with thugs on election days in Ogbomoso.
Olatunji added that “people of Oyo state will not quickly forget the violence promoted by both the former governor and former Senate leader that led to the death of a former leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state, Lateef Salako (a.k.a Eleweomo)”.
He revealed further that the late leader of the ruling APC in Oyo state, Alhaji Lam Adeshina, once reported that Arapaja led political thugs to invade his Felele, Ibadan residence of the late politician during the 2011 elections.
Olatunji alleged that apart from that, it was on record that the former Deputy Governor led a convoy of vehicles full of thugs brandishing dangerous weapons in major streets of Ibadan when the results of the 2011 governorship election in the state were being collated for announcement at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office.
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