PDP employed thugs to disrupt LG election – Oladunjoye, APC spokesperson

Publicity Secretary of the All Progress Congress in Ogun State, Tunde Oladunjoye, speaks with OLUFEMI ADEDIRAN on the allegation of violence within the final Saturday’s LG election within the state

What is your get together’s response to the allegations of harassment and intimidation of voters by the PDP?

We have to develop our democracy so that we’ll not have a celebration praising the electoral physique solely when the get together wins, and blaming the electoral physique when it fails to win. That is changing into the inventory in commerce of the PDP. As an example, the PDP participated in an election in Edo State the place it received, however within the final election in that state, the get together misplaced and it began blaming all people for his or her loss. Final Saturday, we had one other election in Ondo State, and the PDP misplaced by a large margin; virtually instantly after dropping, the get together began condemning the election, abusing INEC, and making wild allegations. In Ogun State, after the 2023 election, PDP condemned INEC and went to the tribunal. They misplaced on the tribunal, Appeal Courtroom, and Supreme Courtroom, just for the chairman of PDP in Ogun State, Sikirulliah Ogundele, to return out a number of months after to say that they really misplaced that election and that Ogun State folks ought to thank God that Ladi Adebutu and PDP didn’t win. So, our democracy must transcend that stage.

The PDP accused your get together of rigging and manipulating the outcomes of the election. Is that true?

Earlier than the native authorities election, the PDP faction led by Ogundele went to court docket to problem the Adebutu faction that fielded candidates. The Ladi Adebutu faction began maligning the picture of the choose dealing with the case; they accused the choose of being a card-carrying member of APC, however when the choose delivered a judgment that favoured them, they began commending him. Issues are regular and proper when it favours them, however when it doesn’t favour them, they complain, that’s politics of desperation. When the 2 factions have been united, we defeated them in Ogun State as confessed by Ogundele. They went into the native authorities election divided; they should have been daydreaming to imagine that they have been going to win the election. The APC went to all 236 wards and 5,050 polling items of the state to marketing campaign. So, what magic will a divided, scattered, disentangled get together just like the PDP use to win the election? All different so-called political events are solely mushrooming; all of them didn’t even subject candidates for as much as 30 per cent of the positions contested. It is because they don’t seem to be fashionable however they’re making numerous noise. What’s stunning within the Saturday election was the sort of violence that was perpetrated by the PDP. There are movies the place Adebutu was making an attempt to justify the atrocities dedicated by his thugs and uniformed policemen. He stated on dwell TV that his policemen opened fireplace on folks as a result of they have been the primary to open fireplace on his policemen. He stated his policeman was injured; he should convey out the image of the policeman for the entire world to see as a result of we have now photos of our individuals who have been injured. Our chairmanship candidate within the Ikenne Native Authorities Space was shot at in entrance of his home.

The governor went to vote and returned to his home; he didn’t have many individuals round him, he didn’t have a uniformed policeman with him as a result of it’s towards the electoral regulation. If the governor of the state solely voted in his sales space and went again residence with out police escorts, what was Ladi Adebutu doing transferring round on an election day with police escorts? When his policemen fired at our chairmanship candidate, it angered the folks they usually chased and caught one among them. We have been in a position to verify that the policemen weren’t even from Ogun State; they have been from Mopol 49 in Lagos. The opposite policemen ran and took refuge in Adebutu’s home and the DSS operatives went there to arrest them. His policemen opened fireplace on them (DSS operatives) and broken their automobiles; this was why Adebutu was invited by the DSS.

How true is the PDP allegation that the governor used thugs and safety operatives to oppress its members?

Serving folks just isn’t by desperation, Ladi Adebutu is changing into determined and he has carried out numerous issues that weren’t challenged, however we’re joyful now that the DSS and the police are investigating him. We now have photos of his thugs arrested from completely different elements of the state with charms and harmful weapons. What sort of desperation is that this?

Their allegations are all tissues of lies. These folks confronted a navy patrol car on an election day; in the event that they didn’t have one thing to cover why would they are saying the navy patrol car couldn’t transfer round? The navy was not invited by the Ogun State Authorities, they weren’t a part of our election, and even the police have been anticipated to maintain their distance from the polling cubicles. However it’s the accountability of those that are answerable for intelligence to ensure that issues don’t go unhealthy. They waylaid a navy patrol van and threatened to beat up troopers. What if the troopers weren’t mature {and professional} they usually have been shot and killed? They’ll nonetheless say it’s APC that killed them. No one is silencing anyone, however we have now to dwell responsibly. We now have to be civil, and when you’ve got something that you just dislike, it’s important to use the instrumentality of the regulation to hunt justice.

No one is silencing opposition. In actual fact, they’re those who ought to behave in line with the regulation. They need to behave in a means that they don’t seem to be above the regulation. Ogun State was peaceable earlier than this election.

How will you react to the allegation that the governor was diverting native authorities funds? 

Two years in the past, Governor Dapo Abiodun made a presentation earlier than the Nationwide Meeting committee in Lagos, asking for extra allocation to the state and native governments. The governor has all the time been an advocate of native authorities autonomy. When folks shout about autonomy for native governments, our native authorities chairmen should know that autonomy doesn’t take away their duties. The standard rulers, pensioners, native authorities employees, and first college academics will nonetheless should be paid as first-line cost. Don’t neglect that was the system earlier than. It was when some native authorities chairmen messed it up that this concern of JAAC was rearranged. So, if we at the moment are going again to the period whereby there received’t be JAAC, the native authorities chairmen have to be up and doing and face the challenges. The problem of autonomy just isn’t a disturbing development for us as APC within the state and for the governor.