Handshake Campaign Organisation (HANCO), official campaign handlers of Senator Olufemi Lanlehin’s governorship bid, wishes to bring to the notice of citizens, residents and voters in Oyo State, the serial acts of desperation currently being perpetrated by the Oyo State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), its leader, Governor Abiola Ajimobi, and candidate, Bayo Adelabu, in their frenzied desire to win the coming governorship election at all costs, and avert an already advertised looming defeat.
Some, in a long list of other acts of brigandage, subterfuge and manipulation by the trio include:
1. Cloning of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) at designated locations in Ibadan
Reports reaching us indicate that in certain designated locations in and around Ibadan, particularly in Ibadan North Local Government Area, the trio have begun the massive cloning of permanent voter cards, using information sourced from the Tradermoni forms filled by unsuspecting members of the public.
You will recall that on the Tradermoni form, there is a request for beneficiaries to fill in their PVC numbers. One can only align oneself with deductions by Transparency International (TI) which already dubbed this fraudulent Tradermoni Scheme, vote buying.
As if bad isn’t bad enough, Governor Ajimobi, the godfather, and Adelabu, his godson, have now latched into same, and are now frantically cloning permanent voter cards, to be deployed during the coming elections. The locations where this is being done is currently being heavily guarded by thugs with all manner of weapons, and cover provided by Adelabu’s branded buses. Those buses also serve as transit equipment for arms and ammunitions.
2. Unmitigated violence
In an unprecedented manner, never witnessed before in these climes, the trio have resorted to the use of deadly weapons; shooting at not only our members going about peaceful campaigns, but also members of the public going about their lawful businesses.
Four cases resonate here; one person was shot at, at Agbeni market, on Wednesday 23 January, 2019, while passing through the area. It is to be recalled that the APC governorship candidate, Bayo Adelabu, held one of his campaign in Agbeni market that day.
As if that’s not enough, members of our party, on the campaign train of Hon Olusumbo Olugbemi, member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency, were shot at on Saturday, 26 January, 2019, at Apete Awowo, by APC hirelings, acting on the orders of the trio.
Similarly, a sympathizer of our party, who was pasting our posters in front of his father’s house at Apete area was attacked, and beaten to pulp. The case was reported to the DPO, Apete.
Even in Badeku, in the Lagelu local government area of Oyo State, on Friday, 25 January, 2019, some of our members on ward to ward campaigns were waylaid, and beaten mercilessly by APC thugs. Only the intervention of members of the public saved them from death!
3. Destruction of posters and billboards
Majority of our posters and billboards are either getting destroyed or being forcefully taken over. A very visible case of a destroyed billboard is the one in Gbagi, done by some members of the NURTW, acting on behalf of the trio, while the one on Alesinloye, one of our prime locations has been forcefully taken over by Governor Ajimobi, despite same being already paid for by us.
In fact, then Chairman, Oyo State Signage and Advertising Agency (OYSAA), Mr Yinka Adepoju was sacked owing to his noncooperation with the state government in this particularly devilish scheme.
4. Bribing for endorsement
The most recent trick of the trio, having seen defeat staring them in the face, is their resort to bribing significant segments of the society for the purposes of vain endorsements.
We have it on record that a particular serial governorship candidate (a popular hotelier who contested the 2015 elections too), has been bribed to the tune of N100million, ostensibly to announce his withdrawal from the race, and back Adelabu, APC’s governorship candidate. That candidate is to make the announcement in the coming week.
Further to that, is the attempt to polarise student groups in the state, as well as impeaching the recognised leadership of the association, before replacing them with stooges, having seen those ones are not backing their candidate.
How Governor Ajimobi expects these same students, who have been deprived of quality education, and have spent several months out of school owing to the nonpayment of salaries of tertiary institution staff members to do his bidding is really bemusing.
How does the trio expect students to vote for them, and their party, when Adelabu, their candidate, goes about mouthing self funding of tertiary institutions and fee increment?
These and many more are some of the already advertised evil acts of the trio, in their satanic bid to forestall an already assured victory, and prevent the enthronement of a people’s government.
We like to remind them, that we remain undaunted in this liberation struggle, and that whatever shenanigans they’re planning, our people are always at the forefront of truncating same, because their love for our party, and our candidate is unflinching, and their support, unwavering!
This notice is just for public education, and enlightenment.
SIGNED
Lanre Ogundipe
Director, Media, Publicity & Protocol
Handshake Campaign Organisation (HANCO)
