Osun APC denies hiring thugs to attack PDP members

..says N7m largesse cause of violent attack among PDP thugs

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Osun has dismissed the allegation by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it hired thugs to attack and kill its members in the State.

The State Chairman of the APC, Prince Gboyega Famodun described the allegation as baseless and misleading, adding that the party remains law-abiding, responsible and will never resort to violence nor engage in any act capable of disrupting the peace of the State.

He added that the PDP in the State was reputed for thuggery and bringadage and has always exhibited violent tendencies.

Famodun further explained that contrary to the allegation by the PDP, the APC had no hands in the latest attack that reportedly claimed the lives of two people and left some injured.

According to him, the reported death of the two persons was not unconnected with the violence that broke out among the various groups of political thugs within the PDP in the State.

“From what we gathered, the sum of N7million given a certain group of the thugs led by one Ajagungbade Emir to vandalise the various billboards of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in different parts of the State, was the cause of the violent attack.

“Emir is new in the PDP and thugs who have been with the party for long were unhappy that a new person who just joined the party was given the contract at their own expense. This was the genesis of the ongoing violence among the factions of political thugs in the PDP. It will be recalled that the media reported how the PDP thugs also engaged in a free-for-all fight at the party’s Secretariat, shooting themselves in Osogbo last Sunday.

“It is also untrue that the Amotekun and the Police aided APC thugs in attacking members of the PDP. The security outfits only performed their own official duty by intervening in the crisis among the thugs in the PDP. The attempt to blackmail them by the PDP cannot stand, and we urge the public to disregard the lies and propaganda of the sinking party.

“For the avoidance of doubt, our party does not have any connection with the latest violent attack perpetrated by political thugs loyal to the PDP. The Osun APC remains law-abiding, responsible, peace-loving and we will never resort to violence nor engage in any act capable of disrupting the peace of the State.

“Unlike the PDP, we have been preaching peace and conducting ourselves peacefully since the campaigns began, and this is what we shall continue to do till the day of the election and after the exercise,” Famodun said.