The Informant247
Tuesday, November 13th 2018.
Ahead of the Kwara State Federal House of Representatives by-election scheduled to hold on Saturday the 17th day of November 2018, the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) have recently been engaged in a game of blames, this came after the PDP accused the APC of importing ammunition and thugs, whilst the APC accused the PDP of losing direction in it’s political wilderness.
Parts of the statement released by Engr. Kola Shittu, the Kwara State PDP Chairman after a press conference on the alleged importation of thugs and ammunitions reads thus: “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”.
“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 APC whilst responding to the allegations by the PDP in a press statement made on behalf of the party by Kayode Oyin Zubair, the Head, media and publicity committee of the Kwara APC stakeholders forum said that the APC has no reason to unleash terror on it’s people, and reminded the PDP leaders that Kwara is not a den for criminals, and should therefore communicate their boys that ran out of the State during the crack down on criminals never to return to the State.
Part of his statement read: “It is smack of irresponsibility for a political party like People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to continue to thrive on outright falsehood because of its insatiable appetite for power”.
Kayode Oyin Zubair added: “The third in the series of cries of importation of thugs to Kwara State from neighbouring States by the occupants of the tattered umbrella confirms their experience in the wilderness as highlighted above. How can we help the embattled Senate President and his lackeys that fell from grace to grass?”
“However, the security agents are alerted to resume combing in Oro and other places to rid this state of criminal elements”, he said.
The Kwara State government on it’s part have raised an alarm over an alleged redeployment of DPOs in the Kwara South senatorial district, and alleged that the redeployment of the DPOs strongly suggests a ploy by the police authorities to use the movements to thwart democratic elections in the State.
It said: “The Kwara State Government views with concern and alarm the reported redeployment of all divisional police officers (DPOs) in Kwara South Senatorial district of the state by the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris”.
The State government in the same vein also called on the Presidency to restrain the IGP from carrying out the said redeployment, even as the act was termed as impunity and capable of subverting democracy.
In another development, youths under the aegis of Kwara South Youths have protested to the Kwara State government house in Ilorin to condemn the development.