ONDO: PDP, APC trade words over political thugs arrested by police

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) traded words on Sunday over the arrest of suspected political thugs at Ifon, Ose local government area of Ondo State at the weekend.

While the PDP Campaign organisation for the October 10 governorship election in the state, had denied any link to the arrested thugs, insisting that they were armed by the APC, the ruling party said it was shocked that the PDP could be caught napping in its involvement with violence and thuggery in the state.

The PDP governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, was scheduled to make a stopover at Ifon as part of his local government campaign tour before the suspected political thugs were caught inside a Toyota Sienna bus branded with Jegede’s campaign pictures.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of Jegede Campaign Organisation, Gbenga Akinmoyo, in a statement, said the general public has been made aware of plans by the APC to adorn political thugs in PDP branded materials to unleash mayhem in the state.

The statement read: “The information on the arrest of some hoodlums in branded vehicles wearing PDP logo at Ifon in Ose LGA whilst our campaign train is due to make a stop in the town is nothing but an attempt by the APC to make good its evil plans.

“While appreciating the security agencies for their vigilance in averting a needless mayhem, we urge the general public to remain focused and not fall for the antics of the ruling APC who are determined to draw us into unproductive arguments that can distract us from those issues that border on the welfare of our people and failure of the APC government in addressing them.”

However, the spokesman for the Rotimi Akeredolu Campaign Organisation, Olatunde Richard, in his reaction, said the APC is shocked and bewildered by the show of shame by the major opposition party in the state who was caught napping in a web of violence and thuggery.

He said: “While we commend the police authorities for its gallant efforts at arresting these hoodlums, we condemn this act in strong terms and call for more investigation into the PDP Campaign activities.

“We wonder if the PDP sees the election as a war or an electoral contest for the seat of the state governor.

“We insist that this does not only constitute a danger to our democracy and credible electoral process, but the lives of people, that the party claims it is out to serve.”

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