As tension continues to scale up in Nigeria over the governorship election in Osun State slated for Saturday, the two major political parties in the election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have again hit at each other over a directive by the APC mandating its members, political officers in all its controlled states as well as the national leaders of the party to converge in Osun and remain in the state till after the election.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC’s spokesman in a statement issued in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Monday, revealed that the directive also covers all political appointees in states under the control of the APC, especially Special Advisers and Commissioners, adding that this was a way of showing the party’s unalloyed support for incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Mohammed said it perceived the election as a celebration of democracy and a harvest time for the party, whose candidate has worked so hard to implement its mandate and make life more abundant for the people of the state.
The party also called on its members in Osun to be vigilant ahead of the poll, considering the myriad of desperate tactics being perfected by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reap where it did not sow.
Reacting, PDP condemned directive, saying it is a brazen assault on democracy tailored to intimidate the electorate and prevent them from freely voting the candidate of their choice.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, who issued a statement to that effect, said: “the directive is in furtherance of APC’s two-pronged plot to move in billions of naira to induce voters as well as smuggle in thousands of armed thugs from other APC states to cause mayhem and disrupt the process in the face of defeat.”
Metuh pointed out that in seeking to import mercenaries from other states, APC has exposed the fact that it lacked genuine followership in Osun State, adding that such explains the reason it has remained distraught by the massive support being enjoyed by the PDP.
“Having realised that the people are now with the PDP, a desperate APC is doing everything to cause confusion, intimidate the people and prevent them from expressing their wishes and aspirations in a free election,” Metuh said.
“However, we wish to inform the APC that they will be disgraced as no amount of intimidation and inducement will deter the people of Osun state from pushing through their resolve to end the APC reign of impunity on 9th August. Indeed, never in history has good been defeated by evil.”
Metuh also described APC’s allegation that ” PDP seeks to reap where it did not sow as laughable”. He held that Osun remains a core PDP state.
“Nigerians are aware that the APC never won election in Osun state but is merely enjoying a mandate stolen from the PDP through the court,” he said.
Metuh called on the people of Osun state to remain calm and vigilant, charging them to resist any attempt by the enemies of their state to subvert their collective will at the polls.
He called on Nigerians to note the developments and hold the APC responsible if there happens to be any breakdown of law and order in the state.
