Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned the alleged attack on its members in Idanre Local Government Area of the state by some armed persons suspected to be political thugs of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Eddy Olafeso, the chairman, Ondo State PDP 2024 governorship campaign council, while addressing journalists on Thursday at the PDP Secretariat, Alagbaka Akure alleged that in the early hours of Wednesday a very well known APC thug in Idanre Local Government, by name Oyewole Aderemi (aka Gulder) led a group of thugs to attack PDP supporters, with guns and machete unprovoked.
He said seven persons were seriously wounded, especially Otunba Olowoniyi Akinlemimu who is still on admission at the Intensive Care Unit of the State Specialists Hospital, Akure while others are still receiving treatment after extracting bullets from their bodies.
“Up till this moment, no arrests have been made and the assailants were given VIP treatment at the APC Grand Finale rally in which the National Chairman of APC, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje and Vice President, Kashim Shettima were in attendance.”
Read also: INEC distributes sensitive materials to LGs ahead of Ondo guber poll
Olafeso, however, noted that the actions of members of the APC are clearly in violation of the Peace Accord signed by all parties participating in this election and any attempt to compromise a free, fair, credible and transparent election will be resisted through all lawful means.
He said; “We use this medium to plead with all security agencies to be very professional in discharging their duties. We urge them to remember that, a compromised election process is a direct invitation to anarchy. We are a peace loving people who abhor violence but will resist attempts to take us for granted.”
According to him, said there is no amount of intimidation and threats that can save the APC from suffering monumental defeat come November 16, urging its supporters not to be provoked, no matter what.
Besides, the party alleged that it has uncovered a sinister plan by the electoral body to compromise the forthcoming governorship election in the State.
“We also like to add that, Mr Bayode Lawrence, Director of ICT, from Owo Local Government, Tony Itodo and Mr Udeoha Endurance all ICT Department staff have been notorious for manipulating election in the ICT should not be allowed to participate in the Ondo election.
“Mr A.T Yusuf, a retired INEC Director of Operations has just been nominated as National Commissioner are those who have always done hatchet job during all elections. His nomination was compensation for what he did in Edo election. We reject all these characters to be involved in our election.
“At the stakeholders meeting on 2024 Ondo State Governorship Election, held on Thursday, 7th November, 2024 at Akure, Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmoud Yakubu spoke glowingly about the Commission’s readiness to transmit Election results from each Polling Unit, but the news making the rounds is contrary to the assurance earlier given by Prof. Yakubu. For the integrity of INEC, it is necessary that the Commission comes clean on the transmission of election results, which was a sore point in the Edo Election,” Olafeso added.
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