The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has strongly condemned a series of violent attacks allegedly carried out by political thugs associated with the Accord Party against its members and chieftains across Ede.
In a statement signed on Monday by the APC State Director of Media and Information, Mogaji Kola Olabisi, the party called on the Osun State Commissioner of Police to urgently investigate the incidents and arrest the perpetrators.
According to the statement, the coordinated violence targeted several prominent figures within the party over a 24-hour period.
APC member Abideen Oyetunde narrowly survived an assassination attempt on Sunday evening in Sekona, Ede-South Local Government Council Area, when armed assailants invaded his residence with machetes and guns.
Oyetunde, currently receiving medical treatment for severe head injuries and a gunshot wound, identified several known local political thugs involved in the assault.
In a separate incident in Ede, assailants targeted Taofeek Akanbi, a recent decampee from the Accord Party to the APC, at Access Point Lounge in the Odo Eja area. When the attackers failed to locate Akanbi, they attempted to burn down the venue, though staff members managed to extinguish the flames before major damage occurred.
The party noted that one of the primary suspects in the lounge attack, Wakeel Mojeed (popularly known as Doki), had previously been convicted of physical assault.
The APC further highlighted an ambush at Alajue, Ede, targeting the campaign convoy of Dr. Shekinat Oyebamiji, wife of the APC governorship candidate Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and Princess Abimbola Adereti, wife of the deputy governorship candidate. Both women escaped unharmed when their convoy was waylaid by armed thugs during a campaign visit.
The opposition party accused Governor Ademola Adeleke and the ruling Accord Party of militarizing the upcoming governorship election environment and misrepresenting the state’s security situation.
The APC urged its members to remain focused on campaign efforts and not be deterred by political intimidation.