Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde has been accused of sponsoring thugs to cause mayhem before and during Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State.
APC’s Director General of Communication and Strategy and Strategy Frontier, Wale Olarenwaju and Director of Organisation, Olawale Sadare who jointly signed the statement on Tuesday and made it available to journalists explained that Oyo State governor has perfected strategies to unleash mayhem through the use of thugs.
They further asserted that Makinde was using the State meagre resources for the Peoples of Party (PDP) in Ondo governorship polls to nest his political tentacles.
APC noted that in 2016, the PDP’s governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede could not sponsor thugs on a large scale compared to now, insisting that Oyo State governor has planned for invasion of thugs on Saturday of the election.
“We know how the same Peoples Democratic Party candidate (Eyitayo Jegede) prosecuted his campaign in 2016 with minimum patronage of political thugs.
“But we are now seeing the turn of event when Governor Makinde is being made to influence things within the PDP and it is on this note that we are putting the whole world on notice that the governor of Oyo State should be held responsible for any security breach in Ondo before, during and after the Saturday election.”
Reacting, a member of the campaign coordinators of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Suffy Uguoji, described the allegation against Oyo governor as diversionary tactics, noting that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who is the APC candidate, and some APC governors have camped thugs in Akure and other places in readiness for action already.
According to Ugorji, relief came
on Monday when the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the election, Leye Oyebade, ordered a clampdown on the APC hoodlums attacking residents in some areas in Akure including Odopetu Junction.
Uguoji said, “The allegation against Governor Makinde is one of their diversionary tactics. Akeredolu and his party, APC, have realised that they cannot win in a free and fair election hence the use of political thugs to attack non-APC members.
“We want to appeal to security agencies to make sure that the hoodlums are not allowed to cause violence anywhere in the state. The PDP is confident of winning in a free, fair and violence free poll.”
