The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, SSACO, has raised the alarm over alleged plans by hoodlums to attack members of the Park Management System, PMS, and others supporting the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo State.
The hoodlums are said to have been sponsored by APM governorship candidate Hon. Bimbo Adekanmbi and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State.
In a statement by the Director of Media & Publicity, Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation, SSACO, Mr. Bisi Oladele, it was announced that the planned attack was part of coordinated efforts to repress opposition and instill fear in APC supporters across the state.
“It follows series of attacks which led to death of an APC member in Ibadan in October, and dozens of others that have been injured in similar attacks in the last two months,” the statement reads in part.
The statement reads further: “This came as Senator Sharafadeen Alli’s campaign billboards are being vandalised, and destroyed in some places, by agents of the state government. The evil acts have been going on unchecked as Adekanmbi and Makinde continue to use the instrumentality of government to terrorise opposition members and candidates since election campaign started.
“Based on credible intelligence, the SSACO hereby alerts the public of planned attacks by PMS hoodlums on NURTW members supporting the APC. The attack team is particularly targeting a popular member nicknamed Oyere and his followers. The PMS hoodlums reportedly spied on the APC members at the Senator Alli’s manifesto unveiling event held at Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall last Tuesday, where names of NURTW members, especially those who just joined the APC, were listed and discussed.
“The development was further inflamed by the large attendance of weekly NURTW meeting chaired by Oyere at his office, which had over hundreds of NURTW members in attendance.”
SSACO stated too that “At a meeting directed to be convened by a key member of Governor Makinde’s kitchen cabinet which held around 10 p.m. on Friday, credible intelligence indicated that it was agreed that coordinated attacks be unleashed on NURTW members supporting APC, with a particular agreement to disrupt their weekly meetings to whittle down APC support base ahead of the general elections.”
The group also stated that the state government was also cracking down on billboard proprietors who rented out their billboards to Senator Alli, thereby sending them out of business.
“Rather than make Oyo State business-friendly, Governor Makinde’s and his minions are destroying businesses, just to prevent the APC from campaigning freely,” SSACO stressed.
It warned that the destruction of the billboards of Senator Alli, who is the governorship candidate of APC in the state by the miscreants was a setback for “our progress as a people, and a disincentive to democratic development.”
It added: “We understand that the fear of rejection at the ballot is haunting Hon. Adekanmbi and his godfather Governor Makinde. But no amount of intimidation will prevent the good people of Oyo State from voting for Senator Alli and other APC candidates in the 2027 election. Oyo State deserves a breadth of fresh air after seven years of local government paralysis, flip-flopping policies affecting education, health and the overall public service delivery.”
The SSACO, therefore, called on the Commissioner of Police and other security chiefs to nip the evil plan in the bud, saying that Oyo State didnot deserve violence from a government that took over in a peaceful atmosphere in 2019.
“We also call on the good people of Oyo State to hold Governor Makinde and Hon. Adekanmbi responsible for any political violence as actions of their supporters now constitute a threat to safety of lives and property in the state,” SSACO said.
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