Clement Adeyi, Osogbo

Ahead of the House of Assembly election on Saturday, fear has gripped the residents of Ibokun in Obokun Local Government of Osun State, following a violent attack on party members and supporters by hoodlums believed to be loyal to the candidates of the ruling party, the APC as well as the opposition party, the PDP.

Our correspondent gathered that the town had been boiling since Thursday evening when both parties were campaigning for support during the poll.

Since then, both party leaders and supporters have continued to trade blames over the attack.

They lamented that it was inimical to the peaceful election being clamoured for in the interest of democracy and political development.

While the APC claimed that members of the PDP ignited the fracas by attacking the office of its House of Assembly candidate, Bosun Oyintiloye located in Ibokun, the PDP also accused the APC members of starting the feud by attacking their vehicles while returning from a campaign ground at Ikinyinwa.

While addressing newsmen in Osogbo, Oyintiloye accused the candidate of PDP in the constituency, Adewunmi Adeyemi, of leading hoodlums to attack him and his supporters in his office.

He alleged that the attack was carried out purportedly to assassinate him and intimidate his supporters ahead of the poll.

He explained that some arrests were made by the police after reporting the incident at the police station.

According to him, his opponent, Adeyemi, was apprehended while other culprits were still at large.

“We were at my campaign office after a series of meetings were held when armed PDP hoodlums led by Adeyemi came in different directions and started shooting sporadically.

“These thugs were practically shooting in my direction with the aim to assassinate me, while many of my supporters were seriously injured.

“We reported this case at the police station and police swung into action by arresting some of these people as others are presently at large,”  Oyintiloye said.

He, however, expressed confidence that he would win the election despite the attack, claiming that he remained most popular in the eyes of the electorates.

The spokesperson for the PDP, Mrs Grace, Olojede Omotosho, in her reaction accused members of APC of hiring thugs to attack her members with dangerous weapons.

She told newsmen that some of the hoodlums were in military uniform but could not confirm whether they were real or fake.

According to Omotosho, all her pleas to Oyintiloye and APC members to stop the assault were not heeded to.

She added that the atmosphere later became tensed up when some of the PDP members were whisked away by the police.

She further alleged that there was a covert move by the ruling APC to intimidate the electorate in the constituency, having realised its waned popularity and acceptance.

“We were accosted at Oyintiloye’s office while returning from the campaign ground at Ikinyinwa when many of our members were seriously brutalised,” she said.

“I was later attacked at my sister’s office and my car was damaged in the process, while some of our members were arrested and are currently being detained, including our candidate for tomorrow’s election, Arch. Adewunmi Adeyemi,” Omotosho lamented.