The Accord Party has accused the All Progressives Congress of plotting to lock down six local government areas in Ijesha land during Saturday’s Osun State governorship election to prevent voting and manipulate results.
Bamidele Salam, spokesperson for the Osun Accord Party Campaign Organisation, made the claim on Channels Television while responding to statements by Senator Francis Fadahunsi.
“The plan of Senator Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi and those who are of the same mind is to scare people away from voting in Ijeshaland because by their plan, they hope that they could use the six local governments in Ijesha land, lock the place down, scare voters away, and write results on Saturday,” Salam said.
He alleged the APC could not win a free and fair contest and was resorting to intimidation.
“They know that given the atmosphere in Osun, given the mood of the people, they cannot match one-to-one in a free and fair contest, and all that they are interested in is to suppress the vote, threatening people.”
Salam described Fadahunsi as the “mastermind” of political violence in the state and accused him of threatening security personnel who had seized weapons from suspected thugs.
“I’m telling you on authority that he threatened military officers about three weeks ago only because they arrested some culprits and seized weapons from them,” he claimed.
He further alleged that the senator controlled an Intelligence Response Team operating in Ijesha land that had been arresting Accord Party members and disrupting rallies.
The Nigeria Police Force has invited Fadahunsi for questioning over a viral video in which he allegedly made remarks capable of inciting violence. The APC and the senator have previously denied promoting violence, with the senator maintaining his comments were taken out of context.
The allegations come amid rising tensions ahead of the election, with parties trading claims of intimidation and voter suppression.
