The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) in Ondo State, on Tuesday accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to unleash violence on the opposition and the electorates in the forthcoming October 10, 2020 governorship election in the state.
Addressing journalists at the NUJ Press Centre, Alagbaka Akure, Rotimi Boboye who spoke on behalf of other political parties, described the statewide violence that marred the recent local government election in the state as a dress rehearsal to what will happen during the gubernatorial election.
According to him, the recourse to violence, intimidation and subterfuge by officials of the outgoing APC government in Ondo State as manifested in the recent local government poll largely boycotted by many political parties is a confirmation that the APC is preparing for war and not an election.
Boboye said, “the said sham of an election, not only were candidates of participating parties intimidated, harassed and violently assaulted, voters were disenfranchised and figures concocted to meet the preplanned agenda of the outgoing APC government.
“Rather than abate, such violence have taken new dimensions with meetings of political parties being invaded by known thugs/members of the APC, their cronies and agents.
“We are aware that these spreading violence may not be unconnected with the well articulated though sinister position expressed by D.I. Kekemeke, a self confessed militant and an apparatchik of the APC, who not only boasted of being in possession of high calibre arms, but went ahead to name known harbingers of violence that are to be recruited to cause mayhem from within and without the State.
“Also spreading across the state are confirmed incidences of battered heads, broken limbs and bruised bodies which align with the ‘strategy’ openly canvassed by Kekemeke which is yet to be condemned by his party, the APC.
The opposition parties, however, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu and all other security chiefs to take immediate steps to discourage the legitimization of this violence ahead the gubernatorial election.
“We expect nothing but professionalism and demonstrable fairness from the police and indeed all the security agencies,” CNPP said.
