Ondo LP sends SOS to Yar’Adua over attacks on its
members by Agagu’s thugs

Olusegun Agagu

Worried by the continued spate of attacks and threat to the lives of its members by agents of the Dr Olusegun Agagu-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, the Labour Party (LP) in the State has
appealed to the President and Commander –In – Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’Ardua to save the lives of its member by calling Dr. Agagu to order in the interest of peace in the
State.

Dr Olusegun Agagu’s purported victory at the April 14 governorship election in the State is being challenged at the Election Petition Tribunal by LP’s flag bearer, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who is asking the Tribunal to
declare him the winner of the election having won the majority votes in the election before it was rigged in favour of the PDP by INEC. Similarly, several of the LP members are challenging the victory of the PDP candidates in the April 14 and 21 polls at the Tribunal.

In a Save Our Soul (SOS) to President Yar’Adua on Tuesday, LP Director of Press, Mr. Kolawole Olabisi, revealed that in the last few days, scores of its members have been physically attacked while several have been receiving calls and SMS messages from strange people threatening to kill them if they continue to support Dr Mimiko or any of the party’s candidates in the April 14 and 21 elections in the State against the PDP.

According to Olabisi, following the series of attacks targeted on Dr Olusegun Mimiko’s residence and those of his two younger brothers, Prof. Femi Mimiko and Dr Abass Mimiko in quick succession, people loyal to Dr Mimiko have been under attacks some masquerading as armed robbery operations.

Says Olabisi: “A few days ago, the house of Mr Taye Akinkuolie, a friend to Dr Mimiko was burgled by
assassins who were asking for election materials allegedly kept there to be used to prosecute Mimiko’s case at the Tribunal. Twice, the homes of Mr. Funso Aluko and Cyril Ekunlayi, who were members of the LP ICT team, were raided by supposedly armed robbers who interestingly were asking them to produce documents used for the April polls while the operations lasted.

In all these three cases, the people and their families escaped with their lives by the grace of God.“Again, on November 9, our candidate for the House Of Assembly  in Odigbo Constituency, Hon Victor Akinwe who is challenging the election of the PDP candidate in the House, Hon Mayowa Akinfolarin, the Deputy Speaker and one of the LP leaders in the area, Hon Iroju Ogundeji both received SMS messages from GSM number +2348089991775 threatening them. In the case of Akinwe, the text reads: ‘Consider yourself a dead man to think you can sit on sit (sic)’ while Iroju Ogundeji got a text from the same GSM number. It says:‘It is crime for you to remain in Labour Party. Consider yourself dead if you do so.” Ogundeji had in March this year escaped death by whiskers when he was shot severally and inflicted with machete cuts.”

The LP, therefore, called on the President to come to its assistance by ordering Agagu to halt the spate of attacks on its members. “Your Excellency Sir, We want to appeal to you to kindly save our members who are loyal and peace loving people of Ondo State and Nigeria from series of unwarranted attacks from agents of the Ondo State government. Our “sins” as it were was daring to belong to a political party of our choice and one which was overwhelmingly voted for by the people of Ondo State in the last general election.

We have informed the law enforcement agents about all these attacks but given the fact that these heinous crimes were being perpetrated by the government in power, we know it may be difficult for the law to do its job the way it should. The implication is that our lives are in danger. While we do not want to take laws into our hands as law abiding citizens, we pray that Your Excellency, as the Chief Security Officer of the nation and as a man renown for his respect for the rule of law and due process, should kindly call Dr. Agagu to order by telling him to rein in his henchmen in the interest of peace in Ondo State.”

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