Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the ruling Accord Party have exchanged accusations over alleged attacks on their members following Saturday’s governorship election.
The APC alleged that supporters of the Accord Party launched attacks on its members and supporters after Governor Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Accord, however, rejected the allegation and accused the opposition party of being responsible for attacks on its own members.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Osun APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, condemned what he described as a growing wave of post-election violence allegedly perpetrated by Accord supporters across the state.
Olabisi claimed that incidents of attacks on APC members began shortly after Adeleke was declared the winner of the governorship poll on Sunday.
He also alleged that local government chairmen aligned with the ruling party had moved into various council secretariats despite what he described as their “illegal sit-at-home” status.
The APC spokesperson further alleged that some members of the state executive of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) had used suspected thugs to gain access to motor parks across the state.
The party warned that the alleged attacks could undermine public peace and potentially trigger retaliatory violence if not brought under control.
The APC called on the Osun State Police Command to strengthen security measures and protect its members and supporters from further attacks.
However, Osun State Accord chairman, Victor Akande, dismissed the allegations, insisting that the party was committed to peaceful political engagement.
“Accord is not known for hooliganism,” Akande told journalists when contacted by telephone.
He instead alleged that APC supporters had been behind attacks on Accord members, claiming that the police had also been used to target members of the ruling party before, during and after the election.
According to him, several Accord supporters were allegedly attacked and unlawfully detained.
Akande described the APC’s allegations as propaganda and urged the public to disregard them.
“They are known for their propaganda. They are the ones attacking our members. I didn’t know any of our members attacking their members,” he alleged.
He maintained that Accord was a peace-loving party and attributed Governor Adeleke’s electoral victory to what he described as the overwhelming support of Osun residents.
Osun election: APC, Accord at war over alleged attacks on members