Osun Poll: TICC Accuses APC Of Plot To Destabilise State, Disrupt INEC Logistics

With less than a month to the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, the Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke, has accused the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting to foment unrest and undermine the electoral process by allegedly taking over motor parks across the state.

The Chairman of the TICC Media Committee, Hon. Bamidele Salam, made the allegation on Tuesday while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Salam, who represents Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, alleged that the APC was carrying out the plan with the backing of the police.

According to him, the latest incident involved one Mr. Asiri Eniba, who allegedly stormed motor parks in Osogbo and Ilesa on Monday and Tuesday with armed men and police support, firing gunshots into the air and forcing members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) out of the parks.

He alleged that the objective was to seize control of the state’s motor parks and the leadership of the NURTW ahead of the governorship election.

“The NURTW is a legally recognised body that has had the same chairman for the past three years. Yet, someone suddenly emerged to claim leadership without any lawful process. This is part of a grand plan to create confusion in the state,” Salam said.

The federal lawmaker further claimed that the alleged move was designed to frustrate the logistics arrangements of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the election.

“We have about 3,700 polling units in Osun State, and INEC depends largely on the NURTW to provide vehicles for the distribution of election materials. If you destabilise the union, you risk disrupting the entire logistics chain for the election,” he said.

Salam also claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had video and photographic evidence allegedly showing police officers providing cover for Eniba as he moved from one motor park to another to enforce the takeover.

However, efforts to obtain the reaction of the Osun State chapter of the APC were unsuccessful. Calls placed to the party’s spokesperson failed to connect, while text messages sent to him had not been replied to as of the time this report was filed.

The police had also not issued any official response to the allegations at the time of filing this report.