‘Stop sponsoring attacks on our members, officials’ – Oyo APC warns PDP

Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that some unnamed political associates of Governor Seyi Makinde and leaders of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state were the sponsors of the recent reported attacks on its members and officials at some venues of the ongoing membership registration and revalidation exercise in parts of the state warning them “to desist from such reprehensible acts”.

According to the party, media reports have it that some identified members of the outlawed Park Managers System (PMS), who were fully harmed with guns, machete and charms, stormed Aliwo location of Polling Units 05 and 06 of Ward 12 in Ibadan North East local government area in early hours of Tuesday and unleashed terror on residents of the area before carting away registration materials of the APC.

APC, in a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Secretary of its Committee on Media and Publicity, Olawale Sadare, frowned at what it described as unwarranted and unprovoked attacks from the PDP elements “who must have been jolted by the rate at which the good people of the state are trooping to register as new APC members while old members also attach much importance to revalidation of their membership.

“We have had reports of violent attacks against our registration officials and members in places like Olagoke Akano Street of Ward 11 in Ibadan North East local government area, Academy area of Ward 06 in Egbeda, Iyana Bodija Market of Ward 05 in Lagelu, Orita Challenge in Ward 02 of Oluyole, Owode in Ward 06 of Ogbomoso North and many other places where political thugs were mobilized to the venues of the registration and revalidation exercise since the exercise began about two weeks ago.

“It is clear even to the deaf and the blind that those behind these shameful acts are those close to the corridor of power in the state who feel that violence, brigandage and lawlessness have to be reintroduced to the politics of Oyo state after the last administration of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi had successfully stamped it out. These disgruntled elements believe it is by unleashing terror on political opponents and hapless citizens that their desire to retain power in 2023 but this would be resisted by us in APC and other well meaning people in the society”, Sadare said.

Meanwhile, the APC media committee has appealed for calm among party faithful and members of the public who had expressed their worries over cases of non-availability of additional registration and revalidation materials in most places designated for the exercise which has now been extended to the end of March this year.

“We are not unmindful of agitation for more supplies of the necessary materials used at most registration and revalidation points where those deployed have since been exhausted as a result of influx of the citizens who are desirous of revalidating their membership of the broom party or willing to be registered as new members. It is worthy of note that the national Secretariat of our party deployed 100 forms to each of the 4,778 Polling Units designated as Registration Points but reports indicate that officials in about 60 per cent of these Registration Points attended to 100 registrants in less than 48 hours and thus used up their materials.

“In view of this development, we are glad to disclose that the national Secretariat of our great Party has been duly notified as we have it on good authority that more supplies would be delivered to us in few days to take care of requests from across the state. Also, the leadership of the Oyo APC is poised to do everything necessary to ensure the success of the exercise which has signalled a new hope of a stronger, united and pragmatic Progressive movement in Oyo state ahead of the 2023 general elections”, Oyo APC Media Committee added.