PDP’s planned Co-ordinated attacks on Osun APC candidates, billboards, campaign offices exposed
By KOLA OLABISI
If the news being spread in the public space in Osun State is anything to go by, there is every likelihood of a big-time threat to security of lives and property which is going to be predicated on the membership of political leaning. If the word ‘security’ has not lost its dictionary meaning of ‘the state of being free from danger or threat: safety: freedom from fear or anxiety’, the statutory security agencies and informal ones need to be proactive in order to nip in the bud the discovered plan of some disgruntled politicians to needlessly disturb the ever-peaceful political water in the state.
Whether counterfeit or genuine, no sane mind takes the issue of security of lives and property with levity moreso when we are in the season of political campaign/election to elect another four-year tenant for Aso Rock which is the seat of power at the federal level. It would be recalled that the July 16, 2022 governorship election is still a subject of a hot litigation at the ongoing governorship election petition tribunal in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
Information that filtered in has it that the Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has concluded an organized plan to embark on massive attacks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2023 National and State Assembly elections, destruction and burning down of their campaign facilities including billboards, vehicles and campaign offices any moment from now.
It was authoritatively gathered that some leaders of the Osun State PDP held a meeting on Monday, October 7, 2022, at the Ogo-oluwa campaign office of a chieftain of the party, with a group of people called ‘Special Security Committee’ which consist of some notorious political thugs in the state with a mission to map out massive attack strategies on the APC leaders, candidates and campaign facilities. Part of the plans is to import some war machineries and hardened political thugs from other states for the planned organized assault.
Discreet information also has it that the Osun PDP is planning to deploy, at least, 100 fully armed political thugs in each of the 30 old local government council areas in the state and double that of the major cities such as Osogbo, Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Iwo, Ede, Ikire, Ikirun and Ila-Orangun.
Investigation also revealed that the composition of the so-called ‘Special Security Committee’ are 62 in number, two per each of the old 30 local governments and Ife-East-Central Local Council Development Area(LCDA) with its headquarters in Modakeke with the major responsibility of mapping out the terrain, provide intelligence, identifying specific APC leaders, candidates’ offices, campaign facilities, places of meetings and coordinate the external armed machineries’ attacks to feign outsiders.
It was also gathered that at the PDP meeting, the logistics and accommodations for the imported machineries were also discussed and it was agreed that they would be moved to the state under the disguise of the November 27, 2022 inauguration planning and portray them as guests from the neighbouring states.
Information authoritatively revealed that the armed machineries would be moved to the state beginning from November 20, 2022 and would not leave the state till the end of December to ensure a massive destruction of the APC facilities and attack of notable leaders and party candidates. Part of the assignments sealed at the meeting was to ensure that no flag, brands and secretariat of the state APC exist in the state any longer and in addition, ensure that no APC meetings, campaigns and rallies are held in any part of the state again.
The gathered intelligence also revealed that the APC facilities already marked for attack in the Osun Central Senatorial District include: the State Party Secretariat, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, Tinubu/Shetima State Campaign Office, beside LASOL Pure Water, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, South-West Agenda ( SWAGA ’23) State Office, besides Unity Bank, Osogbo, Campaign office of Senator Ajibola Bashiru, Omo-West, Osogbo, Osun Central Senatorial Campaign Office, Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, Ilerioluwa Development Initiatives Office, Osogbo, APC Local Government Party Secretariat, Ila-Orangun, and Boluwaduro Local Government. Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency office, Ikirun.
In Osun West, the major areas marked for the said attack include: Osun-West APC Senatorial Office, Odo–Ori, Iwo, APC Local Government Campaign offices and secretariat in Ede-North, Ede-South, Ejigbo, Irewole, Ayedaade, Isokan and Egbedore Local Government. In Osun-East, they are planning a massive attack on the APC secretariats in Ile-Ife and Ilesa.
Targeted facilities in Ilesa are: Ilesa-West Governor Gboyega Oyetola Campaign office being run by Engr Oluremi Omowaiye, Hon Babatunde Ayeni Foundation Centre and Campaign Office, Hon Wale Adedoyin Campaign Office in Ilesa-West. Further investigation revealed that all the APC and Tinubu/Shetima billboards will also be the target of attack as planned by the PDP in all the cities and local governments mentioned.
Information also authoritatively disclosed that a notorious political thug, who is a member of Osun PDP inauguration committee who hails from Osogbo is expected to coordinate the planned attacks across the state with the aim of creating fear and apprehension within the rank and file of the APC supporters in the state and make the environment very hostile and difficult for the APC to organise any political activities in the state.
It was also reliably gathered that the planned attacks is one out of the PDP’s many strategies to frustrate the proceedings of the ongoing governorship election petition tribunal in Osogbo.
It would be recalled that the PDP has history of violence and brigandage in the state and it would be foolhardy to ignore this information moreso, when it’s on record that in May this year, the APC raised such an alarm and in less than three days, all the billboards of the party were destroyed in Osogbo and the party offices in Ede-North and Ede-South were badly destroyed by the PDP thugs led by the same Osun PDP Inauguration Committee member.
It is important for the police authority in the state under the leadership of the State Commissioner of Police to task the Osun PDP to explain the role of its so-called ‘Special Security Committee’ in all the local governments and thoroughly investigate the activities of the committee before they set the state on an avoidable fire.
A stitch in time saves nine.
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OLABISI is the Media Adviser to the Osun State APC Chairman.
