APC accuses Omisore of using masked guards

Senator Iyiola Omisore

The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has raised the alarm over the alleged use of masked armed men as security guards by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyiola Omisore.

The APC, in a statement issued on Saturday by its Director of Research, Publicity and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, said that while security agencies were battling to free Nigeria from the grip of terrorists, the governorship candidate of the PDP in the state was encouraging terrorism by using masked ‘terrorists’ as his security guards in his campaign in Osun State.

A photograph sent to our correspondent by the APC showed a masked man with a gun behind Omisore.

The ruling party asked security agencies in the state to investigate the use of masked armed men by Omisore.

The statement read in part, “The PDP governorship candidate, Iyiola Omisore, has introduced the terrorist culture of armed masked men in his campaign in a flagrant public gesture intended to intimidate the electorate.

“Omisore was spotted during his campaign closely guarded by a masked, suspected armed terrorist, the first of its kind to be seen anywhere in the political history of electioneering in Yorubaland.

“The APC observes that while President Jonathan fights armed and masked terrorists in the North with Nigerian soldiers, the reverse is being done in Osun, by Jonathan’s man, hiding behind security cover to intimidate the electorate with masked and armed suspected terrorist guards.

“Political terrorism has arrived in Nigeria’s democratic space by the evil construct of the PDP.”

The spokesperson of the APC in the state alleged that the PDP’s “desperation to win by force of arms” rather than the votes of the people had begun to manifest clearly.

The APC stated that the PDP’s resort to terrorism and electronic manipulation of the voting process would fail because it was not the wish of the citizens of Osun State to replace Aregbesola’s excellence in governance with a clueless character.

The APC also said it heard through the grapevine that the PDP had brought bales of fake police uniforms with substantial arms into the state with the intention to attack party leaders.

But Omisore, in his response to SUNDAY PUNCH enquiry denied the allegation of using terrorists as security guards.

The media aide to the PDP candidate, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, said his principal’s security guards were policemen, operatives of State Security Service and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and not terrorists as being claimed by the APC.

He said, “We all know the style of APC is to accuse others whatever is their plan or intention. If they are really concerned about the security men in Omisore’s campaign, they should contact security agencies to find out and stop playing to the gallery.

“In the campaign train are men from the SSS, the Police, Civil Defence. PDP will never preach violence neither do we rely on thugs to win election.”