Gunmen Attack Rauf Aregbesola’s Campaign Office in Osogbo
- The political crisis in Osun state has taken a new dimension as armed men now attack party supporters
- The ruling APC has been engrossed in a political imbroglio in the state threatening the unity of the party
- A recent incident in the state indicates that party chieftains may have employed the use of force to intimidate their opponents
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Osogbo - Armed men on Thursday, November 18 attacked the campaign office of the minister of interior and former governor of Osun state, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
According to the Daily Trust newspaper, the attack occurred during a meeting of the minister's supporters in Osogbo, the Osun state capital.
Source: Facebook
The attackers, numbering about five, stormed Aregbesola’s campaign office known as Oranmiyan House at Gbodofon area and caused panic in the area.
Members of The Osun Progressives (TOP), a group loyal to the minister, who were at the meeting ran helter-skelter during the incident.
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A witness quoted in the report said the gunmen shot many times into the air to scare away the minister's associates.
The Nation newspaper reports that four gunmen alighting from a black Sienna bus shot sporadically in front of the venue of the meeting.
According to the report, one of them armed with an axe approached the premises where the meeting was holding while others mounted the road maiden, shooting indiscriminately to the air.
The incident was said to have caused drivers to abandon their vehicles on the road as passersby run to safety.
Speaking to Premium Times newspaper on the incident, the chairman of TOP, Adebiyi Adelowo, called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali, to wade into the crisis to avoid unnecessary attacks going forward.
He insisted that the Osun state governor, Gboyega Oyetola should be questioned, saying his group and cabinet members are responsible for the attack.
His words:
“Last week, we did a statement where we noted that members of the Ggvernor’s cabinet were planning to assassinate the leadership of TOP. This that just happened had justified our claim.
“As I speak, I am with the commissioner of police, trying to incident our report and we are also calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to interfere and question the governor on this issue.
“The Ileri group, which is loyal to the governor are behind this attack. We have the video of those who came to attack us and we shall report and remain law-abiding.”
How TOP accused Oyetola's group of illegality during APC ward congress
TOP had earlier raised an alarm, alleging that illegality was perpetrated at the party's ward congress on Saturday, July 31 in the state.
According to the group, the Ilerioluwa faction of the APC loyal to Governor Oyetola, compromised members of the ward congress committee sent from the national secretariat of the party to conduct the exercise in the state.
TOP also alerted the national secretariat of the APC that whatever result brought to the party headquarters by the Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye-led ward congress committee is fake and should be disregarded.
Allegations of illegality not new to Osun APC
In the same vein, TOP also alleged that key stakeholders were excluded from the ward congress in Osun state.
The group alleged that the national secretariat officers sent to Osogbo, the Osun state capital, to conduct the congress exercise were hijacked, ambushed, and kept from being accessed by other stakeholders in the party.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, July 30, Adebiyi, drew the attention of Governor Mai Mala Buni's committee to the issue.
Source: Legit.ng
