The Peoples Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress in Osun State on Monday engaged in a inculpation game over the belligerent clash in Ile Ife.
Our correspondent amassed that some persons were injured in the assailment which occurred while some APC members led by some bellwethers of the party were holding a campaign rally ahead of the governorship election holding in the state on August 9.
Although our correspondent could not independently verify which party was the aggressor, the APC and the PDP claimed that the other party assailed their members.
Ife is the hometown of the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, while the APC withal have some of its bellwethers and political office holders in the town.
The Director of Media and Strategy of Omisore Campaign Organisation, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, claimed in a verbal expression he issued via electronically mail that conveyances belonging to the PDP members were vandalised and some buildings were burnt during the assailment.
Omisore claimed that the ‘State Boys’ engendered by the Aregbesola administration were a component of the hoodlums who unleashed terror on the PDP members.
The verbalization read, “The attack was led by some bellwethers of the APC ( names withheld) and members of the State Boys, a group of political thugs funded by the state regime .
“The coordinated attack on the PDP members was launched immediately after a purported rally of the APC. More than six conveyances belonging to innocent PDP members were eradicated, countless numbers of shops were razed and looted and several members of our party beaten and assailed with machetes.
“We have implored our members to remain law abiding while we have notified the police and other security agencies of this unwarranted attacks on innocent PDP members who are going about their lawful business.”
But the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the APC, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, additionally claimed that the PDP members assailed members of the APC during their rally in the town.
He verbally expressed it was illogical for the PDP to claim that they were assailed by members of the ruling party because the current administration wrought strenuously to renovate tranquility in the state when it surmounted.
Oyatomi verbally expressed, “Before Omisore stepped into the arena, Osun has been placid under Aregbesola. But a potentially treat to violence surfaced with Omisore over his interest to become the governor.
“The question all perspicacious people should ask themselves is how can a regime of APC that is conscious of critical relationship between placidity and development turn round to engender violence to stall the very same convivial and environmental development it has established in Osun?
“In whose interest therefore is violence indispensable in Osun if not the PDP; so, inculpating the APC of violence is the PDP’s antics to divert attention from its own criminality.”
When contacted, the Police Public Cognations Officer in the state, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, told our correspondent on the telephone that she had yet to ascertain from the area commander in charge of the area.