Osun APC Reviews 2023 Presidential, National Assembly Elections , Accuses PDP Thugs Of Intimidating, Attacking Party Members

After reviewing the Presidential and the National Assembly elections held on Saturday, February 25 2023, Osun state APC has alleged that the elections were held under a tense atmosphere while condemning this in strong terms.

The party  decried  what it called lawlessness, violence and extra-judicial killings that were recorded during  the election process in the state as shown in the severe heinous attacks on  members of the opposition across the state before, during and after the elections.

APC also claimed that  15 persons had since been killed  while several others were injured.

That was not all, the party has also  rejected election results  in some parts of the state, arguing that  such election results  were not true reflections of  what the people wanted.

The party commended  electors in the state for their unflinching support, resilience, forthrightness and strong resistance in the face of what it called  naked intimidation and physical life-threatening events ‘from the daredevil elements of the ruling party before, during and after the presidential and national assembly elections in the state’.

APC  urged its members to remain calm while  stating readiness to  challenge the election  results  and seek redress through legal means.

Osun state APC Acting Chairman, Hon. Tajudeen Lawal, who said this during the press conference he presided over at the  Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Office, Osogbo, which was attended by journalists including   Team@orientactualmags.com, condemned the ugly incidents of extra-judicial killings and palpable mayhem unleashed on the people of the state before, during and after the Saturday’s election, saying it was a clear indication that the  PDP-led government in the state was at war against the opposition parties, especially  the APC.

He expressed total displeasure at the way and manner many  members of his party and supporters were allegedly maimed, harassed, assaulted, humiliated and dehumanized for no just cause all in the name of winning an election.

The entire structure of the APC and its members in the state were according to him  denied a level- playing field to canvass for votes before the elections as it was on record that so many of the party members were either killed, maimed, attacked or run out of their abodes by the PDP hoodlums.

Lawal  alleged that a sizeable number of his party  members were needlessly and cruelly sent to the great beyond by the notorious and daredevil PDP thugs who were operating unhindered across the state before and during the elections.

‘The Presidential and National Assembly elections of last Saturday were held under a siege with the PDP hoodlums having a field day across the state to the extent that it would be impossible for any political party which is playing by the rules to win the elections against the political vampire called the PDP whose political thugs were ready to shed the blood of any strong-headed APC member or supporter.

On the  Election Day last Saturday, in what appeared like a war situation in some parts of Osun State, political hoodlums loyal to the ruling PDP in the state, led by one notorious miscreant, Olalekan Ajagungbade popularly called “Emir” unleashed mayhem on the people of the State, particularly the APC members, who came out to exercise their civic duty. 

The hoodlums, who were large in numbers, also attacked the country home of the immediate past governor, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, in Iragbiji where several polling stations were raided as already thump-printed ballot boxes were carted away by the miscreants.

The political hoodlums armed with guns, cutlasses, axes and other dangerous weapons ransacked the strong holds of the opposition APC across the state.

The hoodlums, who got to Idi-Ogungun polling Unit in Iragbiji at 3:04pm when the sorting and counting of votes were ongoing, were seen shooting sporadically into the air to scare the electorate as officials of the INEC narrowly escaped death by the whiskers.

The attackers, who arrived at the affected polling units in full force, sent the entire community into panic as the atmosphere was rented with gunshot sounds before they eventually snatched the ballot boxes at Idi Ogungun, a suburb  of Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government  and later moved to Eleesun and Odebudo, two of the popular communities in the council, all of which are APC strongholds.

The miscreants successfully ransacked the first polling place after which they swiftly moved to the next polling station, which is a short distance where another ballot boxes was carted away.

Information has it that a team of police came to repel the attacks and eventually got two of the hoodlums apprehended. We therefore call for the prosecution of the arrested thugs by the Police’  Lawal  said.

APC however expressed doubts about the readiness of the security agencies especially the police to bring the culprits to book alleging that the PDP political thugs had enjoyed special protection as ‘policemen oftentimes provide cover whenever they  were carrying out  attacks on the innocent people’ .

‘There were incidents in some local governments where our party agents and independent observers were chased away by the PDP thugs while the elections were ongoing.

It is our observation and conviction that if the police have not been working in connivance with the political thugs, a sizeable number of them should have been arrested, shown to the public, investigated and promptly arraigned by now. But lo and behold, the police are always looking the other  way each time the thugs are either attacking or killing the innocent people in our state!

You will all recall that we had, through press conferences in the recent past before the elections, complained copiously about how the PDP thugs had been attacking and hacking down our members in Ijesaland, Iwo, Ikire, Ikirun and Ile-Ife. 

It is on record that our party had also complained in the past of the willingness and readiness of the PDP goons to inflict violence on the members of the opposition with a view to creating fear in our members and numerous supporters. No fewer than 15 of our members were killed in Ijesaland alone before the last Saturday’s charade called elections which could not stand the test of time.

We also want to bring it to the knowledge of the public that apart from what happened in Iragbiji, the Osun State Government-sponsored thugs chased away our members from their voting units in Ikirun, Ila-Orangun, Ile-Ife, Ikire, Ilesa, Okuku, Inisa, Ede, Ipetumodu, Edun-Abon, Ifetedo, Gbongan and others.

Let me go down the memory lane to inform you that the killings of APC members and supporters which began weeks to the election, continued until the eve of the elections as Carlos Fadahunsi, a notorious PDP thug, who was initially arrested was hurriedly released a day to the elections, was seen brandishing guns all over Ilesa, dishing out orders to his gang members to attack APC members and voters. The last time he was arrested, the Police found guns and other dangerous weapons  in his possession.

Carlos Fadahunsi was supported in the Ilesa axis by two other notorious thugs, who incidentally had been declared wanted by the Police, Solo Iwara and Bode Itaapa. The Police have not been able to rein them in because they get official protection from Governor Ademola Adeleke.

While the PDP candidate for Ila Federal Constituency, Hon. Clement Olohunwa, personally led the attacks on the APC members in Ila-Orangun, drawing support from some thugs he imported from Ibadan, Oyo state, another PDP thug, who is also on the wanted list of the Police, Olalekan Ajagungbade popularly called ‘Emir’, led his boys to unleash violence on Osun people who came out to exercise their civic duty in parts of Osogbo and Iragbiji. 

During the melee that ensued, several polling stations were raided as already thump-printed ballot boxes were carted away by the PDP miscreants while the political hoodlums carrying guns, cutlasses, axes and other dangerous weapons ransacked the strongholds of the opposition APC across the state’ he alleged- Team@orientactualmags.com
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