There seems to be no end in sight to the internal wrangling in the Osun State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
This is due to a fresh development, where the state Chairman of the party, Sunday Bisi, threatened fire and brimstone on members of Atunto Osun, a group led by a former PDP governorship aspirant in the state, Dotun Babayemi, in Ijesaland, and across the state.
In a video obtained by OSUN DEFENDER, Bisi who spoke at Awo in Egbedore local government on Sunday, vowed to lead the attack on any member of the faction whenever he sees them in his constituency.
The faction led by Babayemi recently launched a movement tagged ‘Atunto,’ to reposition the party for effective performance in the 2026 governorship election.
Reacting to the development, the party chairman said the faction had been suspended and whoever sees them should unleash terror on them.
Speaking in Yoruba and English language, Bisi said, “Those who gathered and called themselves Atunto, you will notice that you have not been hearing them again; you will never hear them again. The disgruntled elements that call themselves Atunto collected money from APC, those are agents of APC that took the party to the Supreme Court, they knew that even if the case was delivered in their favour they wouldn’t be the beneficiary. I said that they are not our party members. They have been expelled from the party and they stand expelled from the party.
“I am an Ijesa man and in fact, we Ijesas are known for war. So if you see these people (Babayemi’s group) who call themselves Atunto in this local government, drive them away until they become useless. At this point, I am saying unequivocally and publicly too, that in the Ijesa land where I come from, nobody dare call himself/herself Atunto. If I see any of such, I will personally lead the war to their camp and beat them thoroughly,” Bisi threatened.
Meanwhile, Babayemi while reacting urged the state police command and the Directorate of State Security Services to invite the state party chairman for questioning over the threat.
In a release issued by his media office on Monday, Babayemi, who decried the unguarded statements of Bisi, implored security agencies to take necessary action against the state PDP chairman for inciting his supporters to unsettle the peace being enjoyed in the state.
“I’m for peace at all times; my teeming supporters across the state are known for their peaceful conduct. The Atunto in question is a cooperative society duly registered and protected by the law. It’s a society present in all the local governments in the state. On whose authority is Sunday Bisi speaking and threatening a lawful body?
He warned the state PDP chairman not to jeopardize the peace currently being enjoyed by the people of the state through his ‘recklessness,’ insisting that he would continue to ensure that the peaceful waters of the state were not unsettled through any undue provocation.
Babayemi disclosed that a petition had been forwarded to the IGP and other security agencies in Abuja for their intervention in order to avert a turmoil.
Sodiq Yusuf is a trained media practitioner and journalist with considerable years of experience in print, broadcast, and digital journalism. His interests cover a wide range of causes in politics, governance, sports, community development, and good governance.
