Ogun PDP reacts to Tribunal Attack, berates Police over comment
The Ogun State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday reacted to the Monday attack on its supporters by hoodlums at the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
The Party also condemned the statement credited to the State Police Command for claiming that no member of the party was attacked by hoodlums.
Salient Times had reported how some political hoodlums loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly attacked some supporters of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP on Monday at the venue of the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta.
The thugs, wielding canes descended on the former aspirant of PDP, Segun Showunmi while trying to gain access to the court premises and beat him.
The thugs also attacked other members of the PDP.
However, the State police command while reacting to the incident, insisted that nobody was attacked at the Tribunal.
The command in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Omolola Odutola said, “There was relative peace, no case of assault was reported during the court sitting neither was the police aware of anyone assaulted”.
But, the Chairman of PDP in the State, Sikirulahi Ogundele while addressing journalists at the party’s secretariat, accused the police of being used to “play politics with the lives and property of the people”.
He cautioned security agencies against being used as a tool to truncate the peace and tranquillity of the State.
He called on the police to bring the perpetrators of the attack to book to prevent a repeat of such in the future.
Ogundele said, “The PPRO is a liar, I don’t know the reason why the PPRO decided to lie. I don’t know what the PPRO is covering, for her to have made such a statement when it is known to the entire citizens of this State and this country that people were beaten to stupor.
“It is demoralizing and very disgusting of the State PPRO to have come up with that kind of statement. Something that is in the know, we cannot continue to deceive the people of this State, we cannot continue to play politics with the security of lives and property of the people of the State.
“The most disgusting aspect of this was that security operatives were there, especially the police, they looked away, policemen were there in their hundreds but nobody was arrested, this was quite bad.
“Policemen were there and they looked away which is quite unexpected. The police wanted us to engage the attackers so that they can arrest us. But our people were so peaceful and they did not react.”
