Fayose destroying our posters, planning attack -APC

The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of destroying posters of its presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and other APC candidates for the 2015 general elections.

The party also alleged that the governor had recruited members of a faction of the Oodua Peoples Congress, through the leader of the Peoples democratic Party faction in the Assembly, Dele Olugbemi, to unleash attack on its members and secretariats in the state.

The APC had on Monday raised the alarm over alleged plan by leaders of the PDP to attack Buhari and his convoy when coming for the Saturday presidential campaign rally.

Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Tuesday, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said, “Ekiti is in a political turmoil, crisis, hostility, pandemonium, harakiri, unrest, instability, and we believe all the security agencies will view it seriously.

“Today, our candidates are finding it difficult to move freely on the streets of Ekiti. It is even a big issue for us to be in the office.”

He recalled that the party had petitioned the National Security Adviser, security agencies, President Goodluck Jonathan and royal fathers on the ongoing violence in the state without any response.
He queried why the state government started removing campaign posters after Jonathan had visited the state for campaign.


Olatunbosun said, “We have paid to signage (agency) the required fees. The first letter we got from them was after the campaign of their own presidential candidate. Before then, they never raised any issue. They have the record that we have paid to paste posters.

“We are law abiding citizens, having met the condition, should they recruit members of the OPC to start removing our posters?”

The APC advised Fayose to make his campaign for Jonathan issue-based instead of instigating violence.

The party said, “Fayose openly wished Buhari dead in paid advertorial in newspapers on Monday. Few hours later, plot to kill Buhari was uncovered.
“This was coming after the governor had reportedly been boasting around that he had Aso Rock support in whatever he would do to ensure victory for President Jonathan. We are taken aback that up till now, neither President Jonathan nor his campaign organisation has condemned this offensive advertorial.

“We have it on good authority that they have taken delivery of Directorate of Security Service’s T-shirts, trousers and shoes to be given to some OPC members to wear on campaign day. Their plan is to shoot into the air to cause chaos and in the stampede, Buhari will be shot.”

The APC spokesman said the action of the governor undermined the peace pact brokered among political parties leaders by former United Nations Secretary General, Dr Kofi Annan, and other world leaders last week.

“Life has no alternative. It is the intention of our party to ensure peace, law and order, and to avoid unnecessary bickering that will truncate the process of the election. It is the intention of our party that Ekiti people go about their business unhindered,” it said.

Reacting through his Special Assistant (Information), Mr. Lanre Ogunsuyi, Fayose said the allegations were figment of the imagination of the APC.

“The day they applied for the use of the stadium is the day approved for them. Do they want us to campaign for them. Whatever problem that is thrown on their way, they should see it as there is time to sow, there is time to reap.

“If they (APC) had been friendly to political parties, they would not have left that burden of intolerance behind,” he said.