Honorable Abiodun Olasupo, representing Iseyin, Iwajowa, Itesiwaju and Kajola at the Federal House of Representative has urged the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State to rather look inward and caution its members, especially those seeking to contest in the coming general election to desist from using thugs to intimidate residents of the State during their campaign, rather than the party accusing opposition parties for attacking the candidates under the ruling party.
Olasupo who was reacting to a statement that was issued by APC on Saturday and signed by the party’s spokesperson, Dr Azeez Olatunde which accused opposition parties in Oyo State as the brain behind attack on candidates under his party, said the statement was ill-advised and unnecessary as recent incidents of attacks at political rallies have shown that the ruling APC candidates were the breeders of violence and sponsors of political thugs in the State.
He called on the leadership of APC in the country and Oyo State to warn their candidates who he said have always left sad tales of bloodletting everywhere they campaigned to stop the barbaric acts which he said would have adverse effects on democracy as turnout of electorates may be affected on election days.
“It is quite timely to react to the statement credited to APC spokesman in Oyo State as regards to what he referred to as attacks on the candidates of the party. It is rather ironical that the one that should be guilty of an obvious attempt at every turn to truncate democratic process through visitation of violence on hapless citizens are now the one crying foul.
“Go and ask them at Igboora, Eruwa, Omi Adio and the city of Ibadan who had been the breeder of thugs from Lagos and locally, they will tell you it is APC. They kill themselves if they can’t find any opposition figures to attack and that is what happened at all there campaign grounds where tales of bloodletting have been told by the defenseless people going by their normal businesses.
“Instead of crying foul and accusing opposition of what everybody in Oyo State has know APC figures for, why can’t they reign in these candidates to do away with their violent’ warlords that occupy hundreds of vehicles at every APC campaign ground, armed with sophisticated weapons?”
Olasupo appealed to the security agencies not to sit on the fence as their primary duty was concerned, asking them to check the excesses of parties that move around with thugs and weapons, as according to him, it was an indication forcing themselves on electorates who had already rejected them.
