Sagamu riot: DSS witch-hunting our candidates – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State has cried out over the alleged harassment of its candidates by the Department of State Security, DSS, following Monday’s cash scarcity riot in Sagamu.

The party is accusing the Ogun State government of using the DSS to intimidate its candidates a few days before Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

Many commercial banks in Sagamu were vandalised on Monday when angry protesters stormed the town to kick against the new naira policy.

The Ogun State government had earlier accused the PDP and some of its candidates as the sponsors of the riot, a claim that had since been denied by the opposition party.

On Thursday, the PDP called for the redeployment of the State Director of DSS, Femi Aaron, alleging that the security agency is harassing the party’s candidates on the orders of government officials.

In a release, the deputy governorship candidate of the party, Adekunle Akinlade, said the party is worried about the fairness of the DSS Director.

Akinlade attributed the Sagamu mayhem to Governor Dapo Abiodun’s comment that the old N500 and N1000 remained legal tenders and the distribution of the same notes by his officials.

Akinlade expressed concern that the DSS had broken into the house of five PDP candidates and supporters without formal invitation or any warrant.

Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abiodun, Kunle Somorin, has charged those accused of sponsoring the violence to visit the DSS to clear their names.

According to Somorin: “Clear conscience fears no accusations. No one with clean hands should feel harassed or intimidated.

“Let anyone invited, who has nothing to hide, no skeleton in their cupboard, go and clear their names.

“Justice, fairness and public order are at stake. Politicising them will do neither the incumbent administration nor [the] opposition any good.”