By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Kwara state have asked President Muhammadu Buhari and national leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to halt the violence being perpetrated by their supporters in the state.
The PDP leaders made the call on Friday at a press conference where they condemned the violence unleashed on 11 members of the party allegedly by the political thugs on the campaign train of the factional APC governorship candidate in the state, AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq at various locations in Ilorin on Thursday.
They asked President Buhari to order security agencies in the state to bring those who unleashed violence on their members to book by arresting and prosecuting them.
They said anything short of this would mean that the APC people that are maiming the PDP members have the backing and support of the APC led federal government.
The press conference was jointly addressed by the PDP chairman in the state, Engr Kola Shittu and the Director General of the PDP campaign council in the state, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman.
Shittu called on the federal government to call violent members of the state chapter of APC to order.
He said this was necessary to preserve the peaceful nature of the state, adding that ” we have people of the same family in different parties.”
He recalled that hoodlums loyal to the factional APC had also recently destroyed PDP posters and banners at various locations in Ilorin, the state capital.
Corroborating the PDP chairman. Prof Sulaiman lamented that 11 PDP members were maimed and shot at at different locations by factional APC thugs.
He added that those that were critically injured by ” the thugs in the campaign train of leaders of the defunct APC in the state ” were receiving receiving treatment at different hospitals in Ilorin.
The DG lamented that the police provided security for those holding illegal rally and wondered who authorised such security cover for APC leaders who were not recognised by the court
He added: “The peace which the state is known for is being taking for granted by the people who think they can snatch power through unleashing violence on the people.
“They should not take our patience as a sign of weakness. Let the will of Kwarans prevail in the coming elections. The perpetrators should be brought to book, otherwise we will have reason to believe that the government at the centre is supporting their members perpetrating violence in the state.”
Leave a Reply