The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party are currently trading blames over the attack that involved the wife of the state governor, Kafayat Oyetola on Friday evening.
While the ruling party fingered the opposition over the attack, the PDP accused the security operatives attached to the First Lady of inviting the attack with irresponsible conduct.
The APC in a statement its State Chairman, Gboyega Famodun condemned the attack, describing it as primitive, barbaric, shameful, dangerous and wicked.
The statement, which was signed by Chief Kola Olabisi, the media adviser to the APC Chairman, read partly, “It was learnt that the suspected PDP political thugs waylaid the convoy of Mrs Oyetola yesterday at Owode in Edeland, where they threw stones at the convoy and used other dangerous weapons to effect the attack.
Information however, has it that it was the display of the proactive professional prowess of the statutory security officers that accompanied the First Lady that bungled the suspected preplanned attack from being degenerated into more than what it later turned out to be.
“Famodun wondered why the hitherto peaceful ancient Edeland could be turned into a perpetual abode of violence where the sacredness of the lives of fellow human beings means nothing to some desperado political power mongers.”
But earlier in its reaction to the incident, the director of media of Osun PDP, Oladele Bamiji accused the First Lady of cover-up. He said eyewitness account informed the party that the truck had developed some faults before the arrival of Mrs Oyetola.
Bamiji said, “According to eye witness accounts, yesterday was Owode Ede market day and the road was expectedly crowded. A truck had developed fault right at the middle of the road with the driver making efforts to get it to work. That was the point the First Lady’s convoy arrived the scene and instead of helping to clear the traffic hold up , the security operatives around the First Lady pounced on the truck driver, beating him to a state of stupor.
“Realising the outcome of their criminal misadventure, the operatives rushed the driver to the hospital after the former had slumped. It was at this point that people around the market angrily reacted, pelting the convoy with stones and others.
Eyewitness account further revealed that as at the time the convoy was attacked, the angry crowd were not even aware of who was in the convoy until reinforcement was sent to the scene from Government House with sporadic shootings.
“We have gone this far with the details of the incident to strongly deny allegations that PDP thugs were responsible for the self-inflicted attacks on the convoy of the First Lady.”
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The PDP demanded apologies from Mrs Oyetola. “We call on the First Lady to apologise to the truck driver who was inhumanly treated. It is not enough to rush him to the hospital. The First Lady should atone for the sins of his overzealous escorts unless she was responsible for the directive to beat up the innocent driver.”
