Osun ALGON Condemns Attack On APC Loyalists, Journalists

The Caretaker Chairmen in all the 69 Local Government Areas , Local Council Development Areas, Council Areas and Administrative offices, under the umbrella of Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), have condemned in totality the attack on members of Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) by the hoodlums allegedly working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.

Members of ALGON however sounded a note of warning to hoodlums whom were said to have been hired by the opposition parties to unleash terror on be it members of the public, Journalists or supporters of the APC gubernatorial candidate, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, saying they would not allow any form of hooliganism in their various local government areas.

ALGON in a statement signed by its Chairman, Hon. Samuel Idowu Abiodun, assured residents in their local government areas not to be panic as political campaigns continue in their localities saying they have alerted the security agencies to swing into action and ensure the safety of lives and prosperity before, during and after the governorship election.

Members of correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) were attacked by suspected Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) thugs shortly after the Governor and his entourage left the campaign venue at Gbongan in Ayedade Local Government Area of Osun State yesterday.

Many vehicles belonging to the APC members including the correspondents’ chapel’s bus were smashed by the political hoodlums suspected to be operating at the instance of the PDP during the melee.

The Suspected PDP thugs who were armed with cutlasses, cudgels, axes, stones, catapults and charms indeed had a field day as they were operating unhindered during the period.

Quite a number of members of the APC were also wounded during the attack.
The injured newsmen were taken to a private hospital where they were treated.

Describing the action of the hired hoodlums as barbaric, callous and wicked, Abiodun sympathized with the members of Osun NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel and the State Council of NUJ over the ugly incidence.

In his words: “A witch cried yesterday while a child died today. Who does not know that it’s the witch that killed the baby?

“It would be recalled that the factional governorship candidate of the PDP in Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, threatened ‘fire-for-fire’ approach in his new approach to politics in the state few days ago.

“Definitely, the show of shame by way of the attack of the innocent journalists and our members was the result of Senator Ademola Adeleke’s threat of ‘fire-for-fire’.

“We won’t fold our arms and allow the repeat of such lawlessness as Osun State is a product of constitutional existence duly guided by the law of the land.

“I wish our gentlemen of the press who got wounded during the needless fracas a speedy recovery. The leadership of the Osun State Police Command should get to the root of the ugly incident with a view to making scapegoats out of the culprits”, Abiodun stated.