The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has raised the alarm over what it described as an alleged mobilisation of political thugs into the Osun State Government House ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The party called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies deployed for the election to urgently investigate the allegation and take necessary measures to safeguard voters and political actors.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, an APC chieftain, Comrade Kehinde Ayantunji, alleged that the party had received intelligence indicating that a large number of suspected political thugs had been moved into the Government House within the last two hours.

Ayantunji claimed that the intelligence available to the party suggested that some of the individuals were not indigenes of Osun State and had allegedly been brought into the state ahead of the election.

According to him, two individuals allegedly identified by the names “Olowe” and “Iberu” were said to be coordinating the movement of the suspected thugs.

He further claimed that the individuals allegedly arrived at the Government House in several vehicles, including Lexus and Toyota vehicles, giving specific registration numbers and descriptions of the vehicles.

The APC chieftain said the party had cross-checked the information and obtained what he described as pictorial evidence to support its allegations, adding that the materials would be made available to journalists.

He alleged that the suspected mobilisation was targeted at areas where the party believed it had strong electoral support, including parts of Osogbo, Egbedore and Irepodun Local Government Areas.

Ayantunji specifically mentioned Ward 5 in Osogbo Local Government, as well as Ward 4, Ward 8, Okini, Ido-Osun, and Ofatedo areas, alleging that the suspected political thugs could be deployed to cause disruption during the election.

“We have to inform the members of the public, and we have to call on the security agents that we have been saying this, but it appears that security agencies are helpless,” he said.

The APC chieftain also raised concerns over the presence of an armoured vehicle at the entrance of the Government House, alleging that the vehicle was among those procured by the administration of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola and had reportedly been undergoing refurbishment.

He questioned why the armoured vehicle was allegedly deployed to the Government House rather than being made available to security personnel who would be responsible for maintaining peace during the election period.

According to him, the APC was concerned that the vehicle could be used to protect individuals allegedly being harboured within the Government House rather than assisting security agencies in securing the wider state.

Ayantunji stressed that the APC was not making blanket accusations against security agencies or the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but was calling for heightened vigilance based on information it claimed to have received.

He said the party had consistently raised concerns over election-related violence in the state and would continue to speak out whenever it believed the security situation required attention.

“As far as this election is concerned, we are victims of this violence, but the governor has been using his vantage position as the governor to blackmail us because when he speaks, people will listen to him,” he alleged.

He consequently appealed to the international community, security agencies and all stakeholders involved in Saturday’s election to take the party’s allegations seriously.

Ayantunji warned that the APC would hold Governor Ademola Adeleke responsible if any of its members or voters were attacked, alleging that the governor had allowed suspected political thugs access to the Government House.

“We are not here to cast aspersions on any institution, either INEC or security agents, but when we observe or notice that we are seriously challenged, we definitely will not keep quiet,” he said.

The APC urged security agencies to independently verify the allegations, monitor movements around sensitive locations and ensure that the election is conducted peacefully without intimidation, violence or interference. (Nigerian Tribune)