Crisis has erupted in the Ile-Ife area of Osun State on Thursday over the voter registration and cards collection exercises ahead of the August 9 governorship election in the state.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission neither registered nor distributed cards to voters in some polling units. Among the areas affected are Obafemi Awolowo University, Aladanla, Yemo and Ede Road.
The registration exercise which started in Osun State last Wednesday was marred with violence on Tuesday. Violence erupted between members of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday, though both parties have denied their involvement.
Eyewitnesses said the Thursday’s violence was “a revenge by some PDP members.” It was learnt that intensified patrol by Policemen stopped the crisis.
One of them at Aladanla said, “Many people have been here today but they could not register nor collect their cards. The officials came this morning but refused to work.
“The INEC officials said they were ordered not to work unless they are sure that there is no crisis. I think what happened today is that the PDP members want to revenge attacks on them.”
Another eyewitness, identified as Sola added, “If not for the frequent patrol by the police, there would have been crisis. I saw the officials around but I did not see them work, maybe it is because of the small fight this morning.”
PDP Chairman of the in the state, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, had in an interview with journalists on Wednesday said four members of the PDP were shot at Atakumosa, while eight were brutalised by some thugs allegedly hired by the ruling party.
Olaoluwa said, “They shot four of our people today and brutalised eight others. Some of the victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.”
The PDP chairman in Osun East Senatorial District, Mr. Joshua Ogunleye, also said that some known APC thugs fired several gunshots at Ifewara and Okebode to scare people away from the registration exercise.
But the truth is that, the PDP in the state had for long been know with the use of political thugs and victimization of oppositions in the state.
The All Progressive Party in the state has challenge the PDP claims and asked the party to present the evidence of any shooting and attacks in any area by the APC in the state as well as their said victims to the public, claiming that APC has never and will never employ the use of thugs to victimize any body but at the same time will not condo any act of manipulation from PDP in the state.
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