Tinubu/Shetima Rally : Osun APC Raises Alarm Over Plot By PDP To Unleash Violence

…Warns Political Hoodlums As Tinubu, Shettima, Adamu, Others Storm Osogbo Thursday

The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has revealed the clandestine moves of political hoodlums who are loyalists of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to unleash violence before, during and after the Presidential rally of the party scheduled for Thursday.

The APC has consequently sent a stern warning to the political hoodlums that have been unleashing violence and perpetrating series of attacks on the people of the State, particularly members of the APC, to desist from the heinous acts in the interest of peace and tranquility.

The APC called on the security agencies to come to the aid of its members and continue to do the needful by clamping down on those that have been causing mayhem across the nooks and crannies of the state since the emergence of the PDP- led government in the State.

Addressing a Press Conference at the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Office, Tuesday, the APC chairman in the State, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, said the party has reliably gathered intelligence as regards the clandestine moves of the PDP leaders to disrupt the APC Presidential Campaign rally slated to hold in Osogbo on Thursday.

Lawal revealed that parts of the PDP’s unholy plans to frustrate and truncate the rally is to kit its political hoodlums with branded APC uniforms and face caps with a view to giving false identities to the PDP-sponsored political thugs.

According to him, embattled Governor Adeleke had instructed his Chief Security Officer (CSO), CSP Omoyele Adekunle, to import fake security operatives who would be in hoods while perpetrating violence across the State.

“We are privy to an intelligence that the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in connivance with the embattled state Governor Ademola Adeleke, have concluded a plan to disrupt the All Progressives Congress (APC) rally of our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, coming up on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at Freedom Park, Osogbo.

“We also observed that embattled Governor Adeleke’s security guards are always hooded and we have credible evidence that the majority of the hooded security guards are political hoodlums that the governor is using for extra-judicial killings and attacks of the opposition members across the state.

“We also discovered through our painstaking efforts that the controversial Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the governor, one Chief Superintendent of Police Omoyele Adekunle (the leader of the Killer Squad) has been the one giving instructions and protection to the hooded political thugs.

“Our discovery also revealed that the Osun State chapter of the PDP has provided police and the Nigerian Army uniforms to be given to their numerous thugs on Thursday during our presidential rally.

“It was also learnt that the PDP is planning to kit the political hoodlums with branded APC uniforms and face caps with a view to giving the false identities to the PDP-sponsored political thugs.

“According to our reliable source, part of the booby traps orchestrated by the PDP/Adeleke to truncate the Tinubu/Shettima presidential rally on Thursday is to prevent commercial vehicles and motorcycles from working by the use of political thugs to be led by Ado ‘Igbona’ and ‘Emir’ in Osogbo metropolis.

“We also have an uncontroverted information that embattled Governor Adeleke and his co-travellers in the PDP have recruited 3, 000 women at the rate of N2, 000 each to embark on a ferocious protest beginning from tomorrow (Wednesday) through Thursday. The starting point of the women protest is Gbongan-Ibadan road and to be moved to Osogbo later on Thursday.

“It was also gathered that Adeleke and the PDP have mapped out another plan to use political hoodlums to be waylaying our members and supporters who might be coming to Osogbo for the presidential rally from the various towns and villages on Thursday.

“It was also reliably gathered that all the efforts by the police to bring the said controversial CSP Omoyele to justice over some murder cases sometime ago have proved abortive.

“We also noted that the leaders of the PDP/Adeleke killer squad who had been declared wanted by the police over murder are hibernating in the Ede country home of the embattled Governor Adeleke.

“While we are imploring the members of our party and our numerous supporters to troop out to be active participants in the rally of our presidential candidate on Thursday, we are pleading with our members and supporters to maintain decorum even when confronted with avoidable provocation from the agents of disruptions.

“We are also appealing to the state police command and other statutory sister security agencies in the state not to take the issue of security with levity in the state at all times before, during and after our Thursday’s President rally.

“Immediate and concerted proactive approach should be given to the arrest, investigation and prosecution of some of the PDP political thugs who have records of political violence in the state”, he said.

In his brief remarks, the spokesperson of Osun APC Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Engr. Remi Omowaye, said the members of the party would continue to maintain peace and remain orderly regardless of internal or external intimidations from any quarters.

Omowaye who lamented the serial attacks on members of the APC in the last few months said the time has come for the security operatives to unravel the ugly incident and bring perpetrators to book.

Responding, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Adeleke, Oladele Bamiji, said the right to protest is a fundamental human right but the government will try its best to halt whatever can disturb the peace of the state on that day.

He explained that APC denied them of using the stadium but the PDP has released it to them now, saying: “They have started to import thugs into the state ahead of their rally from all the South West states which we are taking cognisance of.”

He said: “There is nothing of such, APC are afraid of their own shadow, we are not a violent party and everybody knows that, we urge them to wake up to reality, they have started to import thugs into the state ahead of their rally from all the Southwest states which we are taking cognizance of, we warn them ahead of play that their is a government in place and they much be careful any attempt to distrupt the peace of Osun will not be taken lightly. We are the ruling party and we can’t disrupt our state.

“They denied us of using stadium when they are their but we are releasing it for them now.

“On protest, right to protest is fundamental human right but the government will try its best to halt whatever that can disturb the peace of the state in that day. There is nothing to protest about, there presidential candidate is doomed to fail so we can’t be wasting our energy on dead horse.”