The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling Accord Party in Osun State have exchanged accusations over alleged attacks on their members following Saturday’s governorship election.
The APC accused supporters of Accord of attacking its members after Governor Ademola Adeleke was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party said the alleged incidents began shortly after Adeleke’s victory was announced on Sunday.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Osun APC Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, expressed concern over what he described as a growing wave of post-election violence allegedly linked to Accord supporters across the state.
Olabisi also alleged that some local government chairmen aligned with the ruling party had moved into various council secretariats despite what he described as their “illegal sit-at-home” status.
He further claimed that some members of the state executive of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) had allegedly used suspected thugs to gain access to motor parks across the state.
The APC warned that the alleged attacks could threaten public peace and lead to retaliatory violence if they were not brought under control.
The party therefore called on the Osun State Police Command to strengthen security across the state and protect its members and supporters.
However, the Osun State chairman of Accord, Victor Akande, rejected the allegations and insisted that his party remained committed to peaceful political engagement.“Accord is not known for hooliganism,” Akande told journalists by telephone.
Instead, he accused APC supporters of attacking members of the ruling party, alleging that the police had also been used against Accord members before, during and after the election.
Akande claimed that several Accord supporters were attacked and unlawfully detained.
He dismissed the APC’s allegations as propaganda and urged members of the public to disregard them.
“They are known for their propaganda. They are the ones attacking our members. I didn’t know any of our members attacking their members,” he alleged.
Akande maintained that Accord was a peace-loving political party and attributed Adeleke’s electoral victory to what he described as overwhelming support from residents of Osun State.The allegations from both parties come amid heightened political tensions following the governorship election, with each side accusing the other of actions capable of affecting peace in the state.
