The candidate of the social democratic party (SDP) in the upcoming gubernatorial elections in Ekiti, Segun Oni, has denounced the alleged attacks on his supporters across the state.
Former state governor Oni will go to the polls on June 18 against Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
But Oni says attacks on his supporters have been on the rise since his campaign began.
This is even as police in the state said they had the situation under control.
However, Oni does not relent in sounding the alarm that political thugs were gradually taking over political space and targeting perceived opponents.
According to him, in recent days, dozens of his followers had been macheted or beaten by political thugs. He said this was vindication of the earlier alarm that thugs and bandits had been imported into the state for the upcoming gubernatorial election.
His remarks were contained in a statement signed by his campaign’s media and publicity director, Jackson Adebayo, on Saturday in Ado Ekiti.
He said the incessant attacks on party members and their convoy were becoming unbearable.
He said four members of his campaign were also attacked in Itaji and Egbe Ekiti, in the Oye and Gbonyin local government areas of Ekiti state during a campaign rally in the cities and are now being treated in two different hospitals.
The former governor said he was not surprised by the upsurge in violent attacks perpetrated by political actors.
“We have raised the alarm before and now it is being executed by state agents,” he said.
“On June 8-9, APC thugs stationed in Ilejemeje local government areas, popularly called the Mayegun boys, attacked chief Segun Akinwumi, an SDP chief, threatening to burn his car and house in the face of the intervention of traditional rulers in the area. .
“This happened on the 8th before our campaign tour reached the local government.
“In the same vein, the property belonging to Hon Kehinde Babatola was vandalized on the 9th after the Segun Oni campaign train in the local government left, the thugs in their 20s re-entered Iye Ekiti, where they destroyed the vehicles that belonged to our members there.
“On the second day, the thugs ambushed Ayegbaju Ekiti in Oye local government, where we were going to have our campaign rally; On our way, they started shooting at our vehicles, but due to the effectiveness of our security backup, lives would have been lost.”
In addition, he recounted how violence broke out in Odo and Oke Ayedun Ekiti in Ikole local government areas, where thugs unleashed terror and sporadically shot SDP members gathering after the Segun Oni campaign train had run. transfer to Ijesha Isu on the Ado Ekiti route.
He added that a member of the Social Democratic Party in Oke Ayedun Ekiti, Temitope Ajayi, was also injured with a strong machete cut just because he asked them why they should come to remove the Segun Oni banners on his vehicle.
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“The thugs beat him blue and black and then they inflicted machetes on him,” he said.
Among the injured he mentioned were Akinyemi Gbenga’s duo, Temitope Ajayi, and a woman, Yetunde Fagbemi.
“We are again calling on all traditional rulers of Ekiti state to call politicians to order before the situation degenerates into full-blown anarchy,” Oni said.
At the beginning of the campaign, Mr. Oni’s campaign train was attacked in Efon Alaaye, which was the first major violence of the election.
His deputy, Ladi Owolabi, was also attacked in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
Ekiti police public relations officer Sunday Abutu admitted there were some attacks but said police had restored normalcy.
“Normal has been restored and the investigation has been launched to unravel what happened and the possible arrest of the culprits,” he said.
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