Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ede town, Osun State, have accused hoodlums affiliated with the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of burning down the APC secretariat in Ede-South and destroying the party’s office in the Ede-North Local Government Council Areas. This alleged attack occurred following the decision of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed the state governor, Ademola Adeleke. In a statement signed by Mufutau Oyewale and 26 other APC leaders from the two local government areas, the party claimed that the PDP’s political thugs went on a rampage shortly after the tribunal’s ruling on Friday, targeting the two APC secretariats located within Ede township.
The APC leaders reported that during the chaos, several party members sustained varying degrees of injuries inflicted by the hoodlums. The attackers also damaged party offices, vehicles, motorcycles, and other valuables. The statement indicated that the APC’s only offense in the eyes of the PDP thugs was their decision to organize prayers at their local government party secretariats shortly after the judgment was announced. The leaders expressed their concern, stating, “The PDP hitmen are threatening to attack and kill some of us in the town and possibly destroy and burn down our houses.”
In light of these events, the APC leaders called on the state commissioner of police and other security agencies to protect APC members and leaders in Ede, who they claim are being hunted by PDP thugs. They urged the commissioner to promptly investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible for the political violence against their members and property.
In response, the acting chairman of the Osun State PDP, Adekunle Akindele, denied the allegations, asserting that the party does not have any militia group. He described the APC’s claims as a false alarm, stating, “Osun PDP has no militia. We have no records of thuggery, unlike the APC, which has sponsored and nurtured thugs and bandits across Ede and Osun during its four years in power.” Akindele emphasized that PDP members engage only in peaceful protests throughout the state and did not attack anyone. He suggested that the APC might have staged fake attacks to create a false narrative, asserting that the people of Osun have demonstrated their support for Governor Ademola Adeleke and that the PDP remains popular, promising to take all legal steps necessary to uphold their mandate.
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