Aregbesola condemns razing of property, attacks on ADC members by political thugs at party secretariat

From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti

The National Secretary of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has condemned the burning of property and the attacks on party members at the state secretariat by suspected political thugs in Ado-Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State.

The former Minister made the remarks when he was speaking with newsmen shortly after a brief inauguration and affirmation of state executives at the ADC state secretariat on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti.

Expressing disappointment, Aregbesola described the incident as a breach of democratic process, noting it was not the first time such undemocratic act would happen in the state.

“It is so unfortunate. It is very shameful that products of democratic process could exhibit such despicable, irrational and undemocratic act. It is difficult to even adequately express my disappointment.

“In 2009, this was how the incumbent administration then exhibited undemocratic act. And we felt that beneficiaries or victims of such anti-democratic actions will not be in office by whatever link to repeat or replicate such wickedness, but unfortunately, that is what we have witnessed today.

“The beauty of democracy is the freedom to associate. It is the freedom to participate in all the activities and festivals of democracy. Open meetings, rallies, campaigns are activities and festivals of democracy. When you see pseudo-democrats undermining democratic processes the way you have witnessed here is a terrible decline to fascism. I believe that through the facilitation of the press, the world will be adequately informed that a season of anomie has descended on the Nigerian people and that we should all rise up to exterminate it.”

Aregbesola also condemned the action of the security agencies in the state, saying they abandoned their mandatory duty of protecting lives and property as they were conspicuously absent during the several attacks that occurred at the secretariat.

“This message equally goes to the various security agencies. They are products of the Nigerian constitution which makes mandatory for them to protect lives and property and when they fail to do so they are violating the constitution.

“And interestingly, the police act and other security acts make it compulsory for them to do so and failure to do that exposes everyone of them that compromises his or her office and position in any way to jeopardise the sanctity of the rule of law, will be held individually liable and responsible and consequences will follow.”

Also reacting to the development, a former deputy governor of the state, Prof Olusola Eleka, described the attacks as political terrorism and the opposite of true democracy.

Eleka also condemned the action of security agencies who according to him did not show up at the secretariat despite the timely report of the early morning incident.

“What has happened today in Ekiti State is what we call political terrorism, and it is quite unfortunate that this is happening in our state. This is against the principle of democracy that we are all preaching.

“We have made reports to the police through the state party chairman, and let me say that we are let down by the security agencies because more than two hours after we made reports on the midnight attack on our secretariat, we observed that they were not there to protect the property and the people.”

Suspected political thugs had in the early hours of Tuesday burnt property and vandalised several items at the state secretariat of the party.

The early morning attack happened hours after the party finished decorating the premises and concluded necessary arrangements ahead of the inauguration of the state executives.

Items burnt to ashes included canopies, plastic chairs, sound system, and other things that were rented for the inauguration ceremony. Also, items belonging to the party were set ablaze.

At about eleven o’clock on Tuesday morning, some hours after the early morning incident, thousands of ADC members and supporters while waiting at the venue for the arrival of Aregbesola and the other national officers to preside over the inauguration, the attackers in their large numbers stormed the venue with guns, cutlasses, sticks and other dangerous objects.

The attackers who were brought to the area in a convoy of vehicles, stormed the venue brandishing their weapons. While some were shooting sporadically into the air, others were attacking the party members.

So many people were severely wounded, while motorcycles and vehicles parked by members and other people were destroyed. Also, another set of canopies and chairs among other things that were rented for the event were destroyed.

Few minutes after the attackers left the scene, Aregbesola and the other national officers arrived the venue with heavily armed security men and the party executives were inaugurated and affirmed in accordance with the constitution of the party.

Barely five minutes after Aregbesola and the other national officers left the party secretariat, the hoodlums visited again, and started shooting and beating party members, destroying valuables in the secretariat and on the streets, even passers-by, roadside traders, kiosk owners, shop owners were not spared in the unpleasant drama that lasted for more than one hour, as their wares and property were also destroyed.