Osun Election: PDP accuses Oyetola, APC of plans to sponsor protests

The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Osun governor, Gboyega Oyetola, of sponsoring people to protest the judgement of the Election Petition Tribunal.

The tribunal last week sacked Mr Oyetola as the governor of Osun State and declared the PDP candidate, Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the September 22, 2018, governorship election.

The tribunal held that the rerun election conducted on September 27 was illegal. Mr Oyetola has however proceeded to appeal.

Mr Oyetola will, however, continue in office until all appeals are exhausted, including up to the Supreme court if he so chooses.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Tuesday, the PDP chairman in Osun, Soji Adagunodo, alleged that top officials of the state government have been holding meetings with students union leaders and ‘pseudo activists’ to protest the tribunal decision in Osogbo and Abuja and blackmail the judiciary.

“It is disheartening to inform the whole world about plans by the APC and the sacked government of Mr Gboyega Oyetola to orchestrate a series of phantom protests and demonstrations in parts of Osun State and Abuja against the well thought out judgement of the Tribunal.”

“We have it on good authority that leaders of the APC and top functionaries of the State government have in the last 48 hours held series of meetings with some Students Union leaders and pseudo activists to plan the fake demonstrations.”

The PDP also alleged that “a sum N500 million has been earmarked as mobilisation fees for the various individuals and hired groups to be used for the ignoble exercise.

“Furthermore, local government chairmen are also being forced to cough out sums ranging between 20 and 30 million Naira to support sponsorship of newspaper articles and Television appearances to impugn on the integrity of the Hon Justices of the Tribunal and ridicule the judgement.”

Mr Adagunodo said the party condemns the act of the APC and also “sound(s) a note of warning to government ministries, agencies, local governments and parastatals to resist any plans to use them as conduit pipes to syphon monies in the guise of sponsoring the planned protests.”

“We call on the police, DSS and other security agencies to put a check on these nefarious plans as they will obviously constitute a threat to the peace and security of Osun State.”

In his reaction, the spokesperson of the APC in Osun, Kunle Oyatomi, told CAMPUS REPORTER that the PDP’s claim is a fabrication.

“The APC does not want to engage with the PDP in Osun in useless and toothless conversation. Especially so, because 95 per cent of the time that they speak, it’s all fabrication.

“The good people of Osun and our knowledgeable security agencies should completely discountenance those allegations because they have no foundation in facts and figures. The PDP is looking for a ‘roforofo’ fight, but we in APC don’t belong in the gutters,” Mr Oyatomi said.