The Osun West senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Dr Amidu Tadese candidate was reportedly attacked on Tuesday in Ikire, Irewole local government of Osun State, by thugs suspected to be on the payroll of Akogun Lere Oyewumi, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for same senate election.
Tadese, information revealed, was in Olosa Oko, Ikire, in continuation of his camapign in Irewole when the mayhem was unleashed on him and his entourage.
The Iwo-born politician and several stake-holders of the party in the area, including the APC Candidate for the Isokan/Irewole House of Assembly election, Hon. Bisi Ilu, were harsly attacked in the fracas before the event was abruptly ended to forestall further breakdown of peace and order.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said gun-wielding hoodlums, numbering thirty (30), in a PDP branded vehicle, were led by the PDP senatorial candidate, Oyewumi, to the APC rally.
He further said that APC supporters were attacked with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
In the account of an another eye witness, Alhaji Abdulrasak Akinsanya, no fewer than 18 vehicles, including the campaign vehicle of Bisi Ilu and a car housing musical instruments owned by a disc jockey, as well as shops and personal belongings of known APC supporters in the area were seriously damaged.
" As I speak, there is palpable commotion in the entire community. Many of the APC loyalists were matcheted with cutlasses and those who sustained gunshot wounds are currently receiving treatment in hospitals."
Speaking to this reporter, a leader of APC in the area, Jelili Olatunji, expressed his displeasure over the incident, warning that continued attacks on members of the APC by PDP thugs would no longer be tolerated.
In his words, "To us, election is not a do or die thing because we believe only God entrones. But there is a limit to which we can absorb the mindless and needless provocation of the desperate PDP. Akogun Lere Oyewumi should stop the desperation. If it is the will of God that he will become the Senator, so it will be. But endangering the life of his kinsmen because of power is wicked and dishonourable. He was in Iwo, the home town of Tadese the other time, and no one attacked him. So why sponsoring hoodlums to attack Tadese and his admirers here?"
Olatunji condemned the unprovoked attacks on the people of Ikire and peaceful members of his party, asking the lawful enforcement agents to intervene and control the political deliquents disturbing the peace of the people.
Confirming the incident, the APC candidate in the senatorial district, Tadese, said the attack occurred around 5.30pm on Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023.
Sharing his experience, Tadese said, "our supporters had already mounted canopy and assembled at Ward 9, Ikire, when the dastardly treatment was meted to us. No sooner had the opening prayer offered than they began to shoot sporadically.
"The assailants, more than 30 in number, were commandeered by Akogun Lere Oyewumi. From Naira and Kobo area to the venue of our rally, the whole place became topsy-turvy owing to the uncommon gunshots. Several people were injured and property, including our vehicles and commercial mini-buses and tricycles passing by at that material time, were vandalised. Afterwards, the attackers retreated to Oyewumi's filling station located in the vicinity.
Multiple calls made to Akogun Oyewumi to get his side of the story were returned unsuccessful and an SMS equally sent for the same purpose was not responded to before filing this report.
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