A chairmanship aspirant in Igando/Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Oseni, has accused party leaders in the council of sponsoring thugs to attack his supporters last week Wednesday during the party’s LGA meeting.
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Oseni made the accusation while speaking with newsmen on Friday at his residence in Ikotun Lagos.
While narrating what transpired at the meeting, the Chairmanship aspirant explained that before the meeting he was informed that he would be attacked at the meeting and that he should not go.
He added that immediately he got the information, he went online to his Facebook wall to intimate and advise his supporters to be peaceful at the meeting.
Accordingly to him, ” An emergency LGA meeting was on Wednesday 19th May summoned by the self-acclaimed Apex Leader, Jimoh Ajao. Before the commencement of the meeting, I heard information that Jimoh Ajao, the incumbent Chairman of Igando/Ikotun LCDA and the LGA Chairman have been complaining that I am the only Chairmanship aspirant that has grassroots support and that they should kill me once I show up at the meeting. The informant told me to be careful at the meeting.
” Once I heard of the plan, I initially wanted to avoid the meeting but I summoned the courage to go because I felt if truly I want to serve the people, it is now to show it. Prior to the meeting, I went on my Facebook wall to inform my supporters to be more peaceful because of the information I had and that if they can’t get me killed but they will kill and frame me up so that I will not be able to continue with the aspiration”.
Oseni further explained that when his followers got to the meeting, they were all peacefully, adding that When they saw that his supporters were much than their aspirant’s supporters, they invited hoodlums to chase us out of the venue and many were injured.
” One of my supporters was shot at the leg, they stabbed some people, hit some with sticks. They went ahead to beat one of my supporters who is a member of the National Union Transportation Workers Union (NURTW) and Chairman of the Egan branch. They beat him mercilessly and one of them used a motor vehicle to hit him down when he was trying to escape. He sustained serious injury and presently he is in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Alimosho General Hospital.
” When I was trying to leave the meeting, they were saying ‘kill him’ ‘kill him’ ‘It is when he is alive that he can be Chairman. But I realise that the people in the community were trying to stop them but I have to caution them not to take the law into their hand. They vandalised all our buses and beat all occupants.
” One of Ajao’s thugs told me to leave because of the love he has for me and told me to find my way out. After I have ensured that some of my supporters are safe, we took one of my injured supporters to the police station to report and a police report was given to go to Alimosho general hospital. His name is Otun Rahmon. He is the Branch Chairman of Egan NURTW. I paid for the medical bills of those that were hospitalized and discharged now. I have the pictorial evidence of those that were injured,” Oseni added.
On steps he had taken on the incident, Oseni stated that his lawyer had sent a petition to the State Chairman of the party, Tunde Balogun and the entire state executives, adding that he believes the party would take drastic measure against the culprits.
” I am expecting the party to take drastic actions because it is a bad signal for the primary elections. One of the issues is that the party leaders at the meeting were putting on Akinsanya Lasisi Ayinde’s cap and members were agitating that it must not be so. It is wrong for them to put on an aspirant’s cap in LGA meeting”, said Oseni.
He said that he was sure that the National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu would never support violence and maltreatment of the party members.
When our correspondent called the APC chairman in Igando/Ikotun LCDA, Akodu Muftau, through telephone, he said that he could not comment on the matter as the case is before Area M Police Commander.
