Bye- election: Kwara PDP Alleges Importation Of Ammunition, Thugs By APC

By Steve Oni, Ilorin

Ahead of Saturday’s by election in Irepodun/Ekiti/Oke- Ero/Isin federal constituency, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) in Kwara state has alleged that the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has started importing ammunition and thugs from Lagos and Osun states into the state.

The party said the APC was desperate about winning the bye- election to fill the Irepodun/ Ekiti/Oke- Ero/ Isin vacant seat at the House of Representatives occasioned by the death of former occupier of the seat, Princess Olufunke Adedoyin.

However, Shittu was confident that his party will win convincingly win the bye-election, adding that “APC is fully aware that there is no way it can win in any credible election in Kwara state and its chieftains ate already jittery of the monumental defeat that awaits them in the forthcoming bye – election. The only thing the party is holding on to is to rig the election.”

Addressing a crowded press conference yesterday in Ilorin, the state chairman of the PDP, Engr Kola Shittu, alleged that the motive behind the APC’s importation of ammunitions and thugs is to disrupt and manipulate the forthcoming election

The PDP chairman, who said that he had it on good authority that some suspected political thugs were already in the state, added that a leader of a transport union in Lagos state would arrive the federal constituency with many other miscreants from today (Tuesday).

“The imported thugs, we learnt, will be camped at different hotels in Ekiti, Oke Ero, Isin and Irepodun local government areas from where they will be operating. The plan of the APC is to deploy these thugs to harass and intimidate members and supporters of the PDP from turning up at voting centres, especially in areas considered to be the stronghold of our party. This will also give the APC leeway to carry out their planned rigging. said.

” This desperation of the APC to win the election by all means possible no matter how illegal and cruel they are, represents the vindictiveness of the party’s leaders towards the Senate President and national leader of the PDP, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.”

Shittu also said that the federal government planned to deploy no fewer than 20,000 policemen and soldiers for the Saturday bye election, adding that the deployment was a ploy by the APC led federal government to create fear in the minds of voters.

“We also believe that this heavy deployment of security officers is deliberate because Kwara is the home base of the Senate President. Our party condemns in its entirety this unnecessary show of force”, he said.

The PDP chairman, who said that members and supporters of the party in the state were at alert, added that the party would resist every attempt by the APC to undermine the electoral process.

“The APC should know that if their rigging machinery worked somewhere else, it will never work in Kwara state. The people of Ekiti, Oke Ero, Isin and Irepodun will defend their votes in this coming election and will not allow the APC to subvert their will”, he said.

The party also called on security agencies in the state to look into all the concerns it raised in order to take proactive steps to protect the nation’s fragile democracy and forestall a breakdown of law and order.

He charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies should provide a level playing field for all parties to ensure a credible electoral process on November 17.


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