The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has praised voters for their resilience in Saturday’s local government elections, where the party won all chairmanship and councillorship seats across the state.
In a statement on Sunday, February 23, Osun PDP Chairman Sunday Bisi commended the electorate for standing firm despite alleged attempts to disrupt the process.
“The peaceful conduct of the poll is a testament to the will of the Osun people for democracy, despite the numerous attempts to intimidate and suppress them,” Bisi said.
He criticised efforts to halt the elections, calling them “illegal” and reminiscent of military rule. “Everything was put into stopping the election, albeit illegally.
“It was a challenging moment reminiscent of the dark era of the military, and to our greatest delight, the Osun people rose in asserting their rights to vote and be voted for,” he stated.
Bisi also condemned the violence leading up to the polls and called for the arrest of one Ademoroti Adeboye, whom he accused of involvement in the killing of a voter in Ilesa East.
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“We are greatly alarmed that the APC thugs wrought violence on innocent voters, leading to the death of a barber in Ilesa East and injuries to many others across the state.
“What happened in Ilesa East LG is reprehensible, and the assailants must not escape justice,” he declared.
Recall that violence erupted in Osun State on Monday, February 17, over the leadership tussle in local government councils, leaving six people dead.
Among the casualties was Remi Abass, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Chairman of Irewole Local Government Area.
Prior to the outbreak of violence, the governor had raised concerns alleging that APC members, with backing from security forces, were planning to seize council secretariats across the state.
As a PDP member, the governor had called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene by restraining one of his ministers, Gboyega Oyetola of the APC, warning of possible unrest.