2023 general elections: Osun APC, PDP accuse each other of employing diversionary tactics

The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has frowned at the alleged diversionary tactics of the Director-General of the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Council, Sunday Bisi.

The Osun APC alleged that it is aimed at scuttling the call for the immediate arrest of the PDP House of Representatives candidate for Ijesa-South Federal Constituency, Sanya Omirin, over the killing of a member of the APC in Ilesa, Ebenezer Alaro on Friday.

Alaro was killed in front of his father's house at Aromire Street, Ilesa by suspected political thugs.

The death of the APC member also drew condemnation from Timothy Owoeye, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly who condemned the act and called on the Nigerian Police to fish the perpetrators and make them face the full weight of the law.

The Osun State Police Command through its spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola also confirmed the killing but added that the Command was not briefed if he was a politician or not.

However, in a statement by Tajudeen Lawal, the acting APC chairman in the state on Sunday, the party condemned Bisi for allegedly restoring to the use of conjecture and falsehood to drive his political point.
Lawal stated that with the self-confession of Sunday Bisi that he had been witnessing the importation of hoodlums into his community for some time without reporting same to the police makes him pointedly culpable for playing a dirty politics with genuine peace in Ijesaland.

"How can an ultimatum of 72 hours of relocation be given to hoodlums by a political party leader who professes to be serious and acting in the interest of his people?

"The statement made by Sunday Bisi in that regard was only diversionary which was intended for the police to shift their attention on the arrest and prosecution of Omirin and his goons over the killing of our member, Alaro, last Friday," Lawal explained.

The Director - General of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Councilnin Osun, Sunday Bisi had in a statement on Sunday issued a 72 hour ultimatum to Ajibola Famurewa and Timothy Owoeye to remove hoodlums recruited from neighbouring states to disrupt elections in Osun.

In a personally signed statement, Bisi accused the Osun APC stalwarts and the acting Party chairman in the state of plotting to ignite unrest in Osun State in order save the party from a humiliating loss at the polls.

"In the last few days, we noticed the movement of thugs into Osun state by the APC and fully aware of all the hotels in Osun East and other parts of the state where they were lodged," the former Osun PDP Chairman asserted.

"Our credible findings detailed that the daredevil hands have been prepared to unleash violence, intimidate innocent people, and target our members for attacks in order to scare them away from participating in the polls. This quite explains the surge in violence on PDP members, especially in Osun East, where many have come under increasing scare for their lives.

"For this reason, we will give the APC leaders 72 hours to remove all the hoodlums they brought into Osun state, and failing to do so, we will be left with no option but to hand over their locations to security agencies so as to throw them out of our state."

Bisi who condemned the APC's action towards the elections as desperation taken too far noted that a party who had done well to earn the support of the people will not need to import criminals to cause mayhem.





FI