Some members of major political parties in Osun State have reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries in a violent attack that broke out during a rally in Ilesa town of the state on Wednesday.
Supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress were said to have clashed while campaigning around Igbogi area of the Ilesa West Local Government Area of the state in preparation for the February 22 local government elections in Osun.
Machetes, axes and other dangerous weapons were said to have been freely displayed by some political thugs.
Residents of the area were thrown into panic as the two parties unleashed terror on themselves.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the two parties have traded blames over the violence and attacks that greeted their political activities.
The APC was first to allege that PDP sent its thugs to unleash mayhem on its members while carrying out campaigns around Igbogi area of Ilesa on Wednesday.
APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, claimed that the APC’s chairmanship candidate for Ilesa West Local Government Council Area, Tobiloba Famurewa, “who was part of the campaign only missed being attacked by the dare devil PDP political thugs by the whiskers.”
APC therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and the state Commissioner of Police, Muhammed Abba, to urgently bring to book the political hoodlums who allegedly attacked its members.
“Even though the case had been incidented at Ayeso Police Station, we enjoin both the Inspector-General of Police and the state Police Commissioner to take a deserving interest in the case given the unenviable history of political brigandage and avoidable murders experienced in Ijesaland during the last elections,” it added.
Reacting, PDP leadership denied attacking APC faithful, claiming that it was APC thugs that attacked its members.
PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, in a statement, said, “Contrary to the lies peddled by Kola Olabisi, it was the PDP that held a rally in Ilesa on Wednesday, and not the APC. The APC had its rally on Tuesday in Ilesa and we ensured that our party members stayed away so as to preserve the peace of the town.
“But to our greatest shock, APC thugs led by Mr. Tobiloba Famurewa invaded the PDP rally on Wednesday, unleashing violence that disrupted the rally and made our members to disperse in different directions in search for safety.
“This was against the commitment Mr. Famurewa made before the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Ilesa West on the morning of Wednesday in the presence of our candidate, Hon. Ditti Aluko, as part of an effort to forestall violence and ensure peace.
“Other assailants, believed to be APC thugs who invaded the PDP rally with Mr. Famurewa, and attacked our members, leaving two of them, Owopetu Zachariah and Chibuzoh Alex, critically injured from matchets cut, are Ojo Agboola, Sesan Alaafin, Rasheed Saheed, Ali Dodo, E-money, Nafisal Omole, Awe Mayowa (Apase), Sola aka Solebo, Ali Crosser, Tope Alajue, Sodiq Ogundare.”
Bisi accused APC of employing falsehood to mislead police authorities.
