Ambo
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming Osun State governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, has dismissed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s call for the British High Commission to impose visa restrictions on some APC leaders over alleged sponsorship of political violence, describing it as “the joke of the century.”
Oyebamiji stated this on Tuesday in Osogbo while receiving a delegation from the British High Commission ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
He alleged that the APC had lost many of its members to politically motivated killings, accusing members of the ruling party of being responsible for the attacks.
The APC candidate recalled that several party members were killed during the 2022 governorship election, adding that the incidents were reported to the police in different communities across the state.
He said that although the APC was the ruling party at the time, it did not politicise the incidents or make baseless allegations, but instead cooperated with security agencies, noting that several of the cases are already before the courts.
Oyebamiji further alleged that more APC members had lost their lives in the last two years, citing the killing of the Executive Chairman of Irewole Local Government, Hon. Remi Abbas, within the premises of the local government secretariat as one of several documented cases.
Responding to Governor Adeleke’s request for visa restrictions against him and other APC leaders, Oyebamiji described the demand as baseless and maintained that if any political party had reason to make such a request, it would be the APC.
He assured that the APC would continue to support and cooperate with security agencies in the discharge of their constitutional responsibilities and expressed confidence in the ability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a credible, free, fair and peaceful governorship election.
Speaking during the visit, Senior Political Adviser at the British High Commission, Wale Adebajo, said the meeting formed part of the mission’s engagement with stakeholders ahead of the Osun governorship election.
(PUNCH)