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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State has condemned the alleged spate of violence on opposition parties’ members by the ruling Labour Party (LP) hoodlums.
The party particularly criticized the recent mopping of a local newspaper, Rocket News, by some suspected LP thugs and officials of the State Security Service (SSS).
Besides, it called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar to transfer the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bayo Fadairo, whom they accused of acting the script of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
The PDP noted that Governor Mimiko’s administration had constituted some groups to unleash terror on opposition members in their houses and other places in the state.
At a press briefing in Akure, the state capital, yesterday, the state Chairman of the party, Hon. Ebenezer Alabi, alleged that the recent programme organised by the party to welcome some LP members to its party at the Irele Local Government Area could not hold successfully following the attack of LP thugs on his members.
He said: “The PDP, as required by convention, duly applied for a permit to hold the rally and this was promptly granted by the Divisional Police Officer in the local government area and we began preparations for the rally in earnest.
“However, on the rally day, to our amazement, we encountered a group of LP leaders and thugs led by the Caretaker Chairman of the local government area, Nicholas Tobi Akinbiola, who came out on a mission to forestall the rally and cause its disruption. Fortunately, they failed in this regard as we were able to hold the rally and receive the members into our party.
“To our amazement, on Monday, July 30, the policemen and soldiers started arresting members of our party. Some of those arrested were taken to the Army Barrack in Okitipupa where they were interrogated and eventually made statements. One of them was Hon. Albert Akintoye, a member of the House of Representatives, representing the Okitipupa/Irele Federal Constituency.
“The others were taken to Police Headquarters, Akure where they were detained and tortured for two days before being arraigned before the Chief Magistrate Court, Akure on Wednesday, August 1 and subsequently remanded at Olokuta Prison, Akure.
“It is embarrassing to note that the Attorney-General hurriedly took over the prosecution without allowing the police to conclude their investigation. This act of the office of the Attorney-General smacks of a hidden agenda, an overt intention to pervert the course of justice.
“It is instructive to quickly elucidate here that since that development on Monday, we wrote a petition to the Commissioner of Police that in spite of our permit to hold the rally, Mr. Akinbiola and his agents still came out to attack our members.
“As at the time of this press conference, the Commissioner of Police is yet to respond to our complaint whereas he has acted promptly on the petition of the Labour Party. This action is not only curious, but absolutely unethical and unprofessional.
“It portrays the present leadership of the police in the state as lacking the required morality to partake and operate during the election and as such it is time for us as stakeholders to let the whole world know that the Commissioner of Police and his men have a curious operational guideline that is not altruistic but informed by extraneous factors that we believe are self-seeking.
“Again we want to underscore our earlier demand that the Police High Command must explain whatever reason that is responsible for the retention of Deputy Commissioner of Police Fadairo in this state.”
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