• Declares no election but electoral fraud, violence

From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta

The House of Representatives candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Saturday, August 16, by-election into the Remo Federal Constituency, Bolarinwa Oluwole, has disclosed that thugs allegedly hired by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) beat and chased voters away, claiming that he was initially chased away by thugs stationed at his polling unit.

The PDP candidate, who stated this while speaking with newsmen shortly after casting his vote at Polling Unit 009, Ijagba Ward 7, Sagamu, Sagamu Local Government Area of the state, said that the thugs targeted strongholds of the PDP to cause violence, declaring that there was no by-election in Ogun, rather, electoral fraud and violence were perpetuated by the ruling party.

He flayed the APC for allegedly unleashing political thugs against members of the opposition and causing violence, in order to rig the election.

Earlier on Saturday, the PDP, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Kayode Adebayo, had accused the ruling party of unleashing violence and intimidation against supporters of the party.

Adebayo equally alleged that the APC was using operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Police to harass voters and arrest some PDP chieftains, including the chairman of the party in the state, Abayomi Tella.

Corroborating Adebayo’s claim during the interview, Oluwole said the APC hoodlums engaged in massive and calculated attacks during the by-election.

He disclosed that a PDP supporter was shot by the thugs in Ilara-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.

“Before I came here, you saw that there was no election. They were beating people here that voted for the PDP. APC thugs chased me away; they had to bring me to one corner. It’s a pity for the governor and all his thugs. Because of a small boy like me, they have been running up and down beating our people. They shot one of our supporters in Ilara-Remo. They have really bastardised this exercise.

“This is not an election. If INEC does not say the truth, I leave everything in God’s hands. The God Almighty will judge. The thugs were going about with guns. I want the media to say the truth, because after this, there are other days to live,” Oluwole stated.

The post Ogun by-election: APC thugs chased me from polling unit – PDP candidate appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.