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From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Osun State Chapter, has called for the immediate redeployment of the Commissioner of Police deployed to the state for the election, Abayomi Oladipo, for alleged bias.
The acting chairman of PDP in the state, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, who made the call at a press conference in Osogbo on Friday, alleged that the CP has not attended to all petitions against the attack on PDP members forwarded to his office.
He said, “the Police Commissioner has not been professional in the discharge of his duties. All petitions from PDP on violent attacks on our members were not attended to. We have concluded that the state election commissioner is biased and partisan. We call for his redeployment with immediate effect.
“It is thus sad that instead of attending to the petitions of the victims, the ongoing operation is targeting the victims, the PDP. All these are ploys to disrupt the peace of Osun State ahead of the rescheduled house of assembly election slated for next Saturday.”
The PDP also accused the national secretary of the opposition APC, Iyiola Omisore, of importing armed men into the state for the arrest of PDP leaders and its members.
“PDP leaders are being hunted and arrested in Gestapo style. Across Osun state, the houses of our leaders are being surrounded and raided even without search warrants. Where our leaders are not at home, their families are arrested and their cars were taken away on various false pretexts.
“We want to note particularly that instead of arresting APC members who are attacking PDP members on daily basis, the said the statewide raid is targeting the victims instead of the culprits. PDP members are the victims of APC violence. Now PDP members are the ones being arrested.
“Five of our members were killed at Ilesa shortly after the visit of the state Governor. At Ila Orangun, four members of the PDP were killed by rampaging APC thugs. At Irewole, four of our members were gunned down by an APC squad. Across the state, APC militants have been harassing and maiming PDP members,” he alleged.
But the APC in a statement by its Acting Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, issued by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, described the allegation as “sweeping, unfounded and unsubstantiated.”
The party alleges that it is the PDP thug led by one popular thug, ‘Emir’ that unleashed mayhem on the people of the state, particularly the APC members, during the last general election.
The APC also alleged that about 10 members of its party were killed while many were injured by suspected thugs loyal to the PDP.
