Ondo PDP, LP trade accusations over Ilaje rerun

Written by The Punch Monday, 26 July 2010

The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday, alleged that the Labour Party government in the state had concluded plans to disrupt the Ilaje House of Assembly rerun election which would be held on Saturday.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, the Edo State capital had upheld the judgment of the state election petition tribunal, which nullified the election of Mr. Thompson Atikase of the PDP.

The PDP, in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Mr. Ayo Fadaka, on Sunday, alleged that the LP had recruited some thugs who would dress like policemen and unleash terror on supporters of the PDP in the area.

But the state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Ranti Akerele in a reaction blamed the PDP of levelling false accusations against the LP.

Akerele alleged that information available to state government had revealed that the PDP was planning to use its influence at the federal level.

He alleged that the PDP planned to use the police and soldiers to intimidate voters on the election day.

He, however, said that the state government did not need to involve in violence because the people of the area voted for the LP candidate during the 2007 election before it was rigged by the PDP.

The commissioner, therefore, said the current administration in the state would ensure that the will of the people was respected during and after the poll.

Also, the Director of Research and Publicity in LP, Mr. Seyi James, alleged that the posting of a former Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ekiti State, Mrs. Ayoka Adebayo, was a design by the PDP to rig the forthcoming rerun election in the Ilaje State Constituency II.

James, in a statement on Sunday, asked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to redeploy Adebayo to guarantee a free and fair election in the state.

James also alleged that Adebayo‘s public service records suggested that she could not be trusted with sensitive assignments like election matters.

But Fadaka maintained that the LP had recruited fake policemen to harass, intimidate and hijack ballot boxes on Saturday.

He said, ”These fake policemen are to be recruited from the state traffic corps, who before their recruitment into that agency were thugs of the Labour Party. Today they now have the benefit of formal training in paramilitary drills and are now more competent to unleash mayhem of unimaginable proportion on their target.”

He further alleged that ”In view of the desperation of the Government of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko to win this (rerun) election it had already acquired arms and ammunition.

“The essence of this armoury is to give lethal teeth to their band of thugs who have already been mobilised to operate in that Constituency on election day,” he added.

Apart from this, Fadaka said, “Further information reveals that a number of party leaders and members have been targeted for attack in the immediate days preceding the election, this is with a view to foster a culture of fear in the area, thereby preparing enough ground for their ballot hijacking plots.

The PDP called on the Commissioner of Police and the entire Command to take full charge of affairs in that election and discharge their responsibilities dispassionately without favour to any Party.

But the Chief Press secretary to the State Governor, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, said the PDP was only trying to shift the blame on the LP, saying the whole plan to unleash violence was hatched by the PDP.

He said the state government had been alerted that a serving senator from the state was already in the state with lorry loads of policemen meant to harass the people.

He said, ”Some of the military personnel already based in the riverside area to suppress and subvert the people‘s wish like they did during the election. It will be recalled that there was no election at all in the entire Southern part of the State as established by the courts.”

”This is what Agagu and his co- travellers are up to again but in planning this evil they want to make it look like it is the LP gain this time around. But in planning this evil, they want to make it look as if it was the LP

Olabisi however said that government was aware of the plans by the PDP to use the police, men of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy because of the peculiar terrain of the area to during the election.

”The PDP are only being clever by half. It is obvious to them that if they lose this election in Ilaje as they surely will, they would no longer be useful to Abuja. Hence, in their desperation, they are already shipping in arms and ammunition into the area”. He added.