Tragedy struck in Osun on Wednesday with the killing of two party loyalists during fracas involving supporters of the All Progressive Congress and that of the Peoples Democratic Party within the Osun West senatorial district. KAMIL OPEYEMI, spoke with Akogun Lere Oyewumi, one of the parties in the allegations and counter-allegations.
What’s your reaction to the allegation of sponsored attacks on the APC Senatorial Candidate, Dr. Amidu Tadese?
What they are accusing me for is what they did. But, it wasn’t the senatorial candidate that did it. I don’t lie. The person who did it is my brother. We are from the same compound in Iwo, and he’s the House of Assembly candidate, Bisi Ilu. We had a rally at my ward in ward 9. It was a federal constituency rally. Yesterday, we had about 4 wards and we ended it in ward 9 which was my ward.
So, when we finished, we left for my petrol station. We didn’t know that they had laid ambush for some of the people coming on motorcycles after we had left and they were putting on PDP caps. So, anybody they see wearing PDP cap they started attacking them. But fortunately for them, one of our branded vehicles was carrying few of our boys and was plying that road and met them where they were beating our boys so that was where it all started.
I had left. I had gone to my petrol station after the rally. How can I be attacking APC, who is there for me to attack? Am not a small boy.
When he heard about the attack, he called D.P.O. He didn't go to Police station neither he went to the scene,
Unfortunately, in the midnight, they took guns and went to the house of one of our leaders and they shot him; killed him and they used cutlass to scatter his head and they took his corpse away. They got to another person, shot him, about two of them. They left that one thinking they had died unfortunately for them, they took one corpse they left two. So, this morning when we were looking for them, we found those two that are not dead and we took them to the hospital. We were able to revive one of them and the other died in the hospital.
That’s what they did and they are accusing me that I attacked them.Who attacked them? Who are they for me to attack?
According to Dr. Tadese, he specifically alleged that you chased him with your Jeep. What’s your reaction to that?
I did not even ride in a Jeep. That is just an error and unexpected from Tadese. Let Tadese swear on anything he believes in that he saw me yesterday. Let him swear to his God that he saw me with jeep chasing him. How can I be attacking people with Jeep? Am I so low? I was in my petrol station. They knew what they did and everyone around that place knew what happened but this is not time for any cheap blackmail to win anything. I am not in that kind of level.
31 years ago, I was in the House of Representatives. I’m not a cheap person. I didn’t attack anyone at all. They were the ones that attacked our people when they were coming from our rally. They know it themselves because it was done in the open and not in the corner and people were shouting “let them go now” “let them go now” when they were attacking them.
So, I didn’t attack anybody. It is very unfortunate that Tadese can say that himself. It’s very unfortunate and I feel sad.
With 4 weeks to the election, what signals do these violent attacks on opponents portend for the elections in your area?
That is their nature. When we did the governorship election you know how many people they shot in the head. That is Bisi Ilu antics. Everybody knows him. He’s a trained thug. He was rusticated from the university. He’s a member of “Ayee.” I know him, know the father. He was my supporter until the father died. That is the House of Assembly candidate and nobody would be surprised if he shot five people in a day. That has been his trademark. So, everybody was shocked when they said he was going to be their House of Assembly candidate. So, people are not even surprised the way you are surprised because that has been his own work. He was shooting directly at people yesterday. People that were coming from our rally. He shot directly at them. Bisi Ilu, that is the House of Assembly candidate in Irewole Local Government. They know themselves. They were there, let them swear. They were in their meeting when that guy was pointing gun and shooting.
So, we are not surprised that has been their way. The business of APC is killing, they think they can rule by thuggery and unfortunately that is over. They can’t try it again. It’s over.
.jpeg)
People say it is indeed the PDP has become too violent a party since taking over Osun with the emergence of Governor Adeleke. How do you react to this?
It is from them because that is what they believe in. You know when they started, they recruited those they called State Boys and you know when you recruit thugs and you buy guns and give it to them, you don’t expect the war to subside easily because they have turned thuggery into business. That is it. So, when they want to go to people like that. They go and hire guns, give it to people and give them 50 thousand as if they are going for business. That is what you see but it’s going to end by the grace of God. It won’t last because once the source of income is cut off, the tap will soon dry.