The Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress of destroying billboards belonging to its candidate in the July 16 governorship poll, Senator Ademola Adeleke, across the state.
A statement on Thursday by the Chairman, Osun PDP Caretaker Committee, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, said Adeleke’s campaign billboards were destroyed in many parts of Osogbo and other parts of the state, describing the development as barbaric and plot to cause a political crisis.
The statement read in parts, “Let us, for the purpose of emphasis, warn those behind this plot that they will be matched, not necessarily by an equal measure of violence but by whatever it takes legally to resist such attempt as to intimidate the good people of Osun State or coerce them into submission.
“This will mean that we will not hesitate to mobilise Osun people against the violence that is being promoted by the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“It is on this note that we want to urge the whole world to hold the APC responsible for any breakdown of law and order in Osun as we will no longer watch the destruction of our candidate’s billboards or any other attack on our campaign materials go without a response.”
The party also called on security agencies to rise to their primary responsibilities and ensure that political thugs were put to check in the state.
But when contacted for reaction, the Special Adviser to the Osun State Governor on Political Affairs, Sunday Akere, while saying Adeleke was not a threat to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s re-election bid, advised the PDP to resolve internal crises in its fold.
He said, “their candidate is not a threat to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s re-election bid. So, we are not interested in what he is doing or concerned himself about.
“They should look inward and resolve their in-fighting to determine where their problem is coming from. For us, we concentrate on ensuring the victory of our candidate at the poll and we will not lose focus by their distractions.”