(Oyinlola at APC rally in Osun:Photo credit:Sola Lawal’s facebook page)
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised alarm over the arrest of one of its leaders whose name was simply given as Hon Oke in Osun state where a gubernatorial election is scheduled for Saturday.
Worse still , the party said it was crying out over the plan by the PDP-led federal government to commence a mass arrest of its leaders in Osun State on Tuesday night, as a ploy to destabilize the party and intimidate its members and supporters ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state.
In a statement issued in Osogbo on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the arrests, which were earlier scheduled to start on Thursday, was fast forwarded because of the runaway success of the APC’s rally in Osogbo on Tuesday.
“The mammoth crowd that turned out for the rally today so destabilized the PDP and the FG that they have now decided to fast track the arrest of our leaders in all the local government areas of the state.
“Already, a special team from Abuja has arrived in Osogbo solely for this purpose, while at least one of our leaders, Hon Oke, has been arrested,” the party said.
It said the arrest and intimidation of opposition members put a question mark on President Goodluck Jonathan’s assurance to the international community that the Osun election will be free and fair.
“As we have always said, election is a process. Rigging is not restricted to voting day alone. Arrest and intimidation of the opposition ahead of voting constitute rigging. Therefore, by engaging in the mass arrest of our leaders in Osun, by deploying highly-partisan security agencies to the state, the FG has already kick-started the process of rigging Saturday’s election
“We are therefore alerting election observers, the international community and indeed all Nigerians to the evil machinations of the PDP and the FG for the Osun election.
“We urge all men and women of conscience to prevail on those who are bent on fomenting anarchy in Osun State to give peace a chance. We ask for nothing more than a level playing field for all candidates in the election.
We want the election to be a celebration of democracy rather than a trigger for chaos, ” APC said.
APC mega rally, a colossal failure ,says PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed the APC mega rally in Oshogbo, Osun state capital as a “colossal failure; a jamboree of rented crowd.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Tuesday said the rally was “full of hollow and meaningless speeches, symptomatic of a sinking party, desperate for survival”.
“Nigerians are aware that at the rally was a crowd mobilized from other states to join APC officials who were forced to relocate to Osun to create an impression of massive support for the party and its candidate.
“However, we invite the APC to note that it is only the people of Osun and not their hired crowd and horde of entertainers that will vote on Saturday, the PDP said.
Noting that a big humiliation awaits the APC, the PDP lampooned APC leaders who experienced a foretaste of the bitter fate ahead, when the citizens of Osun state booed and jeered at them, calling their party “one-chance bus” as they arrived the state with their rented supporters.
The party once again thanked the people of Osun state for the support and solidarity shown its candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, while urging them to remain vigilant ahead of the election.
