TOP Condems Political Hoodlums Attack On Members In Ife

The Osun Progressives (TOP), a Caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State of Osun has condemned the attack on its members in Ife East Local Government of the state on Sunday evening by hoodlums suspected to have been commissioned by the Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s group, IleriOluwa.

The chairman of the caucus, Rev. Adelowo Adebiyi who is a former State Chairman of the party, described the attack as unprovoked and uncalled for, saying it is an attempt by the Governor’s group IleriOluwa and fifth columnist to distract TOP members from the noble pursuit of reworking the party.

According Adebiyi, the growing desperation of the Governor’s group, IleriOluwa has made it to become as dangerous as the fifth columnist it harbours, and thus attack some of their own progressive folks.

The attacks on the APC members, according Adebiyi, are detrimental to the interest of APC and indeed confirm TOP’s stated disquiet within the fold.

Adebiyi said the Governor’s group is becoming intolerable, stating that its steps and actions will surely bear dire consequences in the end.

The immediate past APC chairman who noted that the attacks are becoming too many, stated that the security agents have a duty to protect all citizens, including APC members who have different views from those in government and therefore should act dispassionately.

He noted that there has not been a cogent attempt or effort at curbing the fore-warned attacks by the desperate IleriOluwa group and its allies, despite that many of such had been reported to the security agents in the state.

It is also unfortunate that Governor Oyetola who is the Chief Security Officer of the state is always claiming ignorance of all the violent attacks on APC members and no culprit is ever fished out.

While The Osun Progressives will hesitate to allege bias on the path of the security agencies, we state that our leaders were the ones arrested and arraigned in court for clear massive attacks on us at the party Secretariat on August 14, 2021, where we had gone to present our appeal to a committee for that purpose and for which members without petitions should not be there, Adebiyi submitted.

In addition, the security agents are yet to say a word on the reported virulent attack on the home of a former commissioner in Ile-Ife, Comrade Biyi Odunlade in the evening of same day while the police came up with a huge joke of declaring a clear attack on another TOP member as armed robbery when a pin was not stolen from his house except the phone which they came for.

We await the outcome of investigation into the Sunday’s attack on TOP members which have been reported at the appropriate police station with the names of known daredevils who carried out the infamy, he stated.

By our record, known thugs of Senator Iyiola Omisore and Tajuadeen Lawal, Commissioner for Home Affairs; including Kolayemi Kola, Laide Aregbesola, Kola,Tajudeen Gbadamosi, Adefioye Niyi, Aminu, Omololu Segun, Akinsola Moruf, Muritala, Salami Mustapha, Wale Eleyoro and Akeem Akinsowon were identified persons who disrupted the APC meeting yesterday.

It is sad that this is happening in the APC, especially at this point. Situation like this was last experienced during the Alliance for Democracy (AD) era when two great members were lost through assassinations in aid of an individual’s aspirations in the state.

This was how the disorder in the AD started and was not curbed because the then Federal Government was interested, the security agencies were lackadaisical and the consequence was the wanton killing of two of our stars.
The Chairman of TOP wondered if the history would repeat itself with the way the attacks on APC members have become regular, incidentally with Sunday’s transducer playing the background role for few selfish individuals who are bent on undoing the progressives platform.

He recalled that The Osun Progressives had earlier reported a grand plan by some ‘government and party elements’ to unleash attack on its members and even kill its leaders if necessary.

Since the plan was reported, three different attacks had been carried out on TOP members with the Sunday’s attack making the forth one.

We have also gathered that this same ‘government and party elements’ met recently and resolved to engage some violent member of the NURTW, Okada riders and Cultists to be attacking the TOP caucus of the party.

Rev Adebiyi urged the security agencies in Osun to nip in the bud, daily attacks while he urged the APC National Caretaker Committee, President Muhammadu Buhari and all men of goodwill to intervene in the ongoing charade building up gradually in Osun to avoid bloodletting.