The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) has challenged Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, to stop allegedly shielding members accused of political violence and allow security agencies to bring them to justice.
The organisation made the call in a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, while reacting to allegations by the Adekanmbi Campaign Organisation that it and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State had linked APM members to the killing of APC member Ridwan Adeyemi and attacks on opposition figures.
The incidents included attacks on Mrs Tawakalit Alli, wife of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, as well as Hon. Remi Oseni and Hon. Folake Olunloyo-Oshinowo in Ibadan on October 7.
SSACO described the APM campaign organisation’s response as an attempt to dismiss concerns over political violence, insisting that its warnings about attacks on APC members and other opposition figures were justified.
“It is strange that Hon. Adekanmbi Campaign Organisation can put up a shameless argument that warning Governor Makinde and Hon. Adekanmbi against foisting violence on the people of Oyo State is senseless and irresponsible,” the statement said.
The organisation accused the APM of making excuses rather than addressing allegations of violence, claiming that its response had shifted from accusing APC members of attacking their own people to demanding evidence linking APM members to the incidents.
SSACO urged Makinde and Adekanmbi to allow security agencies to investigate the killing and other attacks, identify those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the law.
It alleged that perpetrators of the violence were emboldened by political leaders and their alleged sponsors, warning that no resident should be harmed because of party affiliation or political preference.
“No resident deserves to die or be attacked because of party affiliation or political choice,” the organisation said, reminding Makinde that he won the 2019 governorship election as an opposition candidate in a peaceful political environment.
SSACO further urged the governor and the APM candidate to respect the rights of residents to support candidates of their choice ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that political ambition should not come at the expense of human lives.
The organisation maintained that violence would not change voters’ political decisions, expressing confidence that the APC governorship candidate would defeat the APM in the forthcoming election.
It said Senator Alli was prepared to bring about what it described as positive change in the state through his Oyo-AHEAD agenda.
