Ekiti 2022: Political Thugs Attacking Me, My Supporters

The candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti, Segun Oni, has cried out over alleged attacks on his supporters across the state.

Mr Oni, a former governor of the state, will go to the polls on June 18 against the All Progressives Congress(APC)’s Biodun Oyebanji and Peoples Democratic Party(PDP)’s Bisi Kolawole.

But Mr Oni says attacks on his supporters have been on the increase since his campaign began.

This is even as the police in the state said they have brought the situation under control.

Mr Oni is, however, not relenting in raising the alarm that political thugs were gradually taking over the political space and attacking perceived opponents.

According to him, scores of his supporters had either been macheted or beaten by political thugs in the last few days. He said this was a vindication of the alarm earlier raised that thugs and bandits had been imported to the state for the coming governorship election.

His observations were contained in a statement signed by his campaign Director of Media and Publicity, Jackson Adebayo, on Saturday in Ado Ekiti.

He said the incessant attacks on members of the party and his convoy of were becoming unbearable.

He said four members of his campaign were also attacked at Itaji and Egbe Ekiti, in Oye and Gbonyin Local Government areas of Ekiti State during a campaign rally in the towns and are now being treated in two different hospitals.

The former governor said he wasn’t surprised at the upsurge in violent attacks being perpetrated by political actors.

“We have raised the alarm before and it’s now being executed by the agents of the state,” he said.

“On the 8th and 9th of June, the APC thugs stationed at the Ilejemeje local government areas popularly called the Mayegun boys attacked Chief Segun Akinwumi, a chieftain of SDP threatening to burn his car and house before the intervention of the traditional rulers in the area.

“This one happened on the 8th before our campaign tour got to the local government.

“In the same vein, Property belonging to Hon Kehinde Babatola was vandalized on the 9th after the Segun Oni campaign train at the local government left, the thugs in their 20s re-entered Iye Ekiti where they destroyed vehicles belonging to our members there.

“The second day, the thugs laid ambush at Ayegbaju Ekiti in Oye local government where we were to have our campaign rally; on our way, they started shooting at our vehicles but for the effectiveness of our security backup there would have been lost of life.”

He further narrated how violence erupted at Odo and Oke Ayedun Ekiti in Ikole local government areas where thugs unleashed terror, shooting sporadically at members of the SDP who were meeting after the Segun Oni Campaign train had moved to Ijesha Isu en route Ado Ekiti.

He added that a member of the Social Democratic Party in Oke Ayedun Ekiti, Temitope Ajayi was also wounded with severe machete cut just because he was asking them why they should come to remove Segun Oni banners on his vehicle.

“The thugs beat him blue and black and later inflicted him with machete cut,” he said.

Those he listed to have been wounded include the duo of Akinyemi Gbenga, Temitope Ajayi, and a female, Yetunde Fagbemi.

“We are again calling on all the traditional rulers in Ekiti state to call the politicians to order before the situation degenerates to a full-fledged anarchy,” Mr Oni said.

At the start of the campaign, Mr Oni’s campaign train was attacked at Efon Alaaye,, which was the first major violence of the election.

His deputy, Ladi Owolabi, was also attacked in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

The Police Public Relations Officer for Ekiti, Sunday Abutu, admitted that there had been some attacks, but said the police had restored normalcy.

“Normalcy has been restored and investigation to unravel what transpired and the possible arrest of culprits has commenced,” he said.