Election And Political Thuggery

 

Michael Ofulue, Osogbo

Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people. From this definition it clearly shows that for democracy to take its root people most be involved. It is a rule by the majority

However, Violence and political thuggery, especially involving youths and members of the road transport unions, has become the trademark of most elections at all levels in Nigeria since the return of democracy in 1999.

Now that most students of higher institutions of learning are at home due to a lingering industrial action by their teachers, and with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealing that 53 per cent of youths between the ages of 15 and 34 are currently unemployed, the use of young men as thugs and hoodlums during political campaigns and elections, stares the country in the face.

Political parties and politicians, in the two leading parties in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are mostly known for sponsoring attacks on each other during elections be it local, state or federal.

As the Gubernatorial Election draws nearer in Osun State, residents of the state have expressed worry over the current political tension in the state as many youths have turned themselves to tools in the hand of politicians.

For those who spoke with Our Correspondent said , it is pertinent for families to educate their young ones and youths on the need to shun violence and avoid being used as thugs, especially as most politicians who might engage them have safely kept their own children in foreign countries to get quality education and become better person they would want them to become

Speaking in an interview with our reporter in Osogbo, Comrade Waheed Saka, an activist and advocate of good governance and peace resolution said a pre-election crisis orchestrated by thugs in Osun is enough to scare people to stay away from the electoral process which is already facing a serious threat of apathy.

Saka said: “Unfortunately, thuggery is becoming institutionalized in Osun state and by extension in Nigeria. We have a serious issue to contend with as the new generation of youth and an army of unemployed are beginning to see the political space as a haven to commit crimes. Even a pre-election crisis orchestrated by thugs in Osun is enough to scare people to stay away from the electoral process which is already facing a serious threat of apathy

“We must find a way to get our youths employed and be serious in educating them on the emerging threats to our democracy and the time to do that is now”, he stated .

Maintaining a similar view is another human rights activist and public affairs analyst, Ayo Ologun, who said it is quite unfortunate that many youths in Nigeria, especially Osun state have forgotten that the nation belongs to them.

They seem not to remember that as leaders of tomorrow, whatever they do today, good or bad, will catch up with them in future. It is a reality that they should know.

Ologun said: “Youths are the compass with which the nation can safely navigate the stormy waters it is presently crossing. If such youths now allow themselves to be used as instrument of destruction and thuggery, what would be the fate of the nation.

“When youths engage in thuggery they set bad examples for the younger ones and also slow down development by destroying their patrimony.

Ahead of the Osun Guber race Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) have traded blames over importation of thugs from neighbouring states.

While the APC has accused the opposition Party of violence ahead of the polls, the PDP is also alleging that the ruling party is using Men of the Western Security Network (Amotekun) to harass and intimidate its supporters

Adressing reporters in Osogbo, the Director General of Osun APC governorship Campaign Council, Senator Ajibola Basiru recently accused the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke of heating up the polity with his “Fire for Fire” comment.

Basiru, the spokesman of the Nigerian Senate, accused the opposition of sponsoring thugs to vandalise Governor Oyetola’s Campaign Billboards, adding that PDP was only trying to drag Amotekun into politics with its unfounded allegations.

But in response, Senator Ademola Adeleke Campaign organization debunked the allegations saying that the APC was merely fabricating lies to cover up their atrocities in the state.

Adeleke campaign Organization, in a Statement signed by Barrister Niyi Owoade, Chairman, Legal Committee, and Prince Diran Odeyemi
Chairman, Media And Strategy Committee, respectively alleged that APC was using thugs to molest and intimidate their supporters.

According to them the Amotekun operatives are providing cover for the APC political thugs, moving around with the said thugs to intimidate and oppress members of the PDP, a situation which has now degenerated to shooting at and killing of innocent citizens.

PDP alleged that the Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers, Comrade Kazeem Oyewale popularly known as Asiri Eniba and his squad were the major tools of the violent attacks on the PDP.

According to the PDP, APC’s killing, maiming and harassment of citizens had now become business as usual.

“It is highly regrettable to know that the said ASIRI ENIBA has some security details attached to him by the Osun State Command of the Nigerian Police, which is being influenced by the Governor Oyetola led APC government.
This gives him a free hand and the impetus to operate wickedly and violently while the police always looked the other way.

“We want the police authorities, especially the Inspector General, (IGP) Alkali Baba Usman, to note that tension is building up on this unchecked spree of killings and attacks in Osun State and a stitch in time as it is often said, saves nine.,” the statement stated

During one of the unfortunate incidents where two persons were reportedly killed and Amotekun Commander’s
house vandalised, the two political gladiators have continued to accuse each other of sponsoring thugs that carried out the attack.

The security waded into the matter promising to bring perpetrators to book.

Some political thugs had on Tuesday June, 14 clashed in Osogbo, Osun State, killing two persons when a group of hoodlums allegedly led by one Lekan Emir attempted to overrun another group in the Asoje area but the latter resisted the attack, leading to the death of two of the cultists.

A resident who pleaded anonymity, said, “Two groups of hoodlums clashed and the Amotekun corps was alerted to restore peace but, unfortunately, one of them fired a shot which killed two people while one person was severely injured.”

The hoodlums mobilized after the clash and took the bodies of the deceased to the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo to protest the killing and Police later arrived and took the bodies away.

Reports had it that the hoodlums stormed the Amotekun office and the house of its commandant to wreak havoc.

However, the Field Commander of Amotekun, Comrade Amitolu Shittu, denied that his men shot anybody at the scene of the incident, but confirmed that one of the wanted cultists was arrested by his men.

“They (hoodlums) have been fighting themselves since Saturday; they have been killing themselves. Police have been looking for some of them and we arrested one of them at 10:15am on Tuesday around Balogun Agoro area and he was handed over to the police. We did not shoot anybody.

“One Lekan led hoodlums numbering about 30 to my house to vandalise my property. They used axes on my gates, shattered window glasses and destroyed some vehicles.”

The All Progressives Congress, APC, 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 brigandage and had always exhibited violent tendencies.

Famodun further explained that contrary to the allegation by the PDP, the APC had no hand 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 to 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.

An indigene of Osogbo, Osun State, Mr Lekan Oyeyemi, popularly known as ‘Ajagungbade Emir’ denied his alleged involvement in the attack on the Field Commandant of Amotekun Corps, Chief Amitolu Shitu.

According to Oyeyemi, it is ungodly for anybody to “lie against him” that he led some youths in protest to Shittu’s house in Osogbo, on Tuesday when he was nowhere close to the place.

Oyeyemi who spoke with newsmen on the matter said he suspected that the government and some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress were trying to frame him up because he decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party.

He said his defection to the PDP did not obviously go down well with some APC chieftains who had resorted to harass, intimidate, attack and implicate him just to take him out of circulation before the governorship election.

He said: “It has come to my attention that officers of Amotekun corps have been going around with false claim targeted at tarnishing my image and frame me up on the attack on the house of Chief Amitolu Shitu by some angry youths in Osogbo.

“I need to put it on record that I was not involved in any protest, not to talk of leading people to attack anybody’s house. It is a blatant lie and ungodly claim that I led some people to attack Chief Amitolu’s house. The people lying against me should fear God.

However, Chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) Osogbo Branch, Osun State, Comrade Kazeem Oyewale popularly known as Asiri Eniba, has alleged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke and the State Chapter of PDP of treat to his life and businesses.

He alleged that the recent attack on his personality by the PDP Campaign Council and public incitement against him is currently endangering his life, businesses, and properties saying he has no choice than to cry for help to save his life and business with the recent development.

Oyewale in a petition he personally signed and submitted to the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olawale Olokode alleged the PDP State Caretaker Chairman, Mr Adekunle Akindele, Director General, Ademola Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Mr Sunday Bisi, Mr Niyi Owolade, Chairman PDP Legal Committee for public incitements against him and orchestrated attempts to eliminate him.

The NURTW boss in the petition demanded for police protection to save his life, businesses and properties alleging that he is no more safe going by the recent public statement of Osun PDP gladiators.

‘’It is important to state that I have instructed my lawyer to initiate a legal process against the PDP but the security aspect of the issue raised and my safety is the most important to me because in recent time, when PDP raise such allegation, what follows is a clandestine action. The two major recent developments in the state have proved that.’’

The Osun state chapter of Accord has raised the alarm over the spates of politically motivated attacks on innocent citizens of the state.

Besides, the party frowned at the destruction of its billboards across the state by hoodlums suspected to be working for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to him, “Our party has been known as a peaceful party. We have been going around with our campaigns with serious caution and tried as much as possible to avoid any physical encounter with any other political party.

“We know our opponents are jittery seeing how the electorates have rejected them and are now pledging their unalloyed supports for our candidate, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi and are out to cause distraction for us.

“It is known across the state that both the APC and the PDP are engaged in breeding, rearing and funding of thugs and we can see how they waylaid each other. We are sure that agents of these rejected political parties are all out to cause infraction in the security of this state”, he said.

***Suspected political thugs attack journalists, others at Oyetola’s campaign rally*

On May 23, some suspected political thugs, attacked journalists at the campaign rally of Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, in Gbongan, Ayedaade Local Council of the state.

The thugs, who wielded clubs, axes and other dangerous weapons, attacked vehicles, including the bus of the Osun State Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Correspondents’ Chapel and damaged the bus and other vehicles that plied the Gbongan Road.

Oyetola had finished addressing supporters at the campaign venue around 5:45 p.m. when the fierce-looking men stormed out of the venue and took over the road when the governor’s entourage was about leaving the town.

When the correspondents were about to drive out of the venue, the hoodlums started attacking vehicles. One of them smashed the NUJ bus on motion with a big stick. The bus’ side glasses were shattered.

Some occupants of the bus, including Chairman of the Osun State Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, Mr. Shina Abubakar and Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Victor Adeoti, among other journalists, sustained injuries.

It was gathered that a disagreement had ensued at the campaign venue between thugs belonging to a notorious thugs’ leader from Osogbo and some other thugs from Gbongan.

Consequently the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has called on security agencies in the state to fish out the hoodlums who shot at Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s convoy while on his way to Osu, a community in Ijesa land during a campaign rally.

The party also called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of suspected thugs who disrupted, then collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) in Ilesa West Local Government Area of Osun state.

The party alleged that the hoodlums were being sponsored by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to unleash attacks on its members and supporters during the PVCs collection exercise, knowing that the majority of the people who came out for PVC collection in the area were for the APC.

Gov. Oyetola’s convoy was shot at by suspected thugs, alleged to be working for the opposition PDP on Tuesday, June 21, at Ikoyi Junction, Ilesa West, when the governor was on his way to Osu for campaign at about 6:00PM.

However, the suspected Political thugs, on Thursday, disrupted collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) in Ilesa West Local Government Area of Osun state.

Narrating their ordeals in the hand of the hoodlums, an APC Chieftain who is the Commissioner for Works and Transport, Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye said that the party is being besieged by political thugs from the opposition party in Ilesha/Ijesa Axis of the state.

Omowaiye, who is an indigene of Ilesa, during a press conference at the party Secretariat in Ilesa on Friday, alleged the leading opposition party of running after their lives.

He said “it is sadden that we are pushed to do this but it is important we let the people know what is happening in Ilesha, and the people of Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Atakumosa West, Atakumosa East to know that the PDP in their usual characteristics have started fomenting trouble.

“They have been doing it before now but they increased their tempo few days ago.
He explained that on Tuesday, of June, 21,the convoy of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was shot at by a PDP thug called Ajakaiye Seyi at Ikoyi Junction in Ilesa West when he was on his way to Osu for campaign at about 6PM.

“It was not only Ajakaiye Seyi that carried out the attack. He was assisted by Adebayo Falade (Bayo Landlord), Alli Basit (Basti), Lekan Akerele (Elewedu) and Lekan Olajuyigbe (Godfather).

“How would you shot into the Governor’s convoy? But because the Governor is a peace-loving man, he merely told security operatives to carry out necessary actions. We petitioned the CP (Wale Olokode) and the Inspector-General of Police (Alkali Baba Usman).

He Said, “to our amusement, that same day the youth leader of Ilesha West, Honourable Abiola Olagunju was sitting in front of his father’s house along General Hospital road, which is a few meters from where the Governor’s convoy was attacked, these PDP thugs went to him and marcheted him. That happened around 9PM.That same day, they went to Councilor’s house who is representing Ward 6, Ilesha West, Honourable Wumi Oladiran, he was lucky to have escaped. They were heavily armed. He has since not able to return home.

“Yesterday, they attacked about ten members of our party. They attacked youth leader of the ward, Mr. Opeyemi Oke. They also attacked Wale Adeoye, Unit Chairman of Ward 3. They also attacked Seyi Anjorin, the legal advisor of Ward 3 in Ilesa West.One of the attacked is in a coma in an undisclosed hospital. We went to him yesternight and couldn’t hold back tears.

“As if that’s not enough, a former Chairman and Board Member of Osun State Polytechnic, Barrister Femi was also attacked in the same ward. They also attacked the Chairman of LG Board of Ilesa West, Honourable Ademola Phillips. When they finished at Ward 3, they went to Ward 4. A man called Mayowa Awe (Bishop) also joined. They were brandishing over 200 guns among other deadly weapons. They attacked Ward Chairman, Mr. Olalekan Abiodun. They were terrorizing the people. Notable among them Mayowa Awe (Apase), Alli Basti, Lekan Akerele (Elewedu), Lekan Olajuyigbe (Godfather), Akerele Wale (Water), Olanrewaju Abiola (Leemah), Rotimi Abu, Deji Faturoti (Deji Omo Mummy).

“We don’t want to take laws into our hands because our party is known for peace.” he said.

While the two political are desperate in winning elections by all course, citizens of the State are beginning to entertain fear of their life will be safe if they come on the voting day to exercise the voting rights as citizens of Osun State.

The security agencies have continued to reassure the people that there will be adequate security on the day of the election, hence the electorates are advised to come out to cast their vote for the candidate of their choice without any fear.

Since every contest produces a winner and a loser, it is advised that the winner should be magnanimous in victory, while the loser accepts defeat and tries harder next time.