Oyo 2019: Some Vehicles Loaded with Arms, ADC Raises Alarm

The Campaign Organisation of gubernatorial candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State , Senator Olufemi Lanlehin has raised an alarm that the party had uncovered a plot by the ruling ruling party in the state to arrest key members of their party ahead of February 16 and March 2 elections.

Hence, calling on President Muhammodu Buhari and International community to beam their searchlight on Oyo state due to critical position the state hold in political circuit in south west and country at large.

The allegation was contained in a release signed by the Director of Public Communication, New Media and Tertiary Institution for Handshake  Campaign Organisation, Engineer Akeem Olatunji.

Olatunji alleged that the party had got a tip off from reliable source that key members and leaders of the ADC would be pick up on trump up charges across the state before the election day so as to create fear on the mind of party members and supporters in the state.

And this plan may spell doom for the country’s nascent democracy if such happened and extended to other part of the south west geo-politcal zone.

According to him, “We have received a credible intelligence report that few days to the election or on any day during ruling party’s rally, some vehicles will be loaded with arms and occupied by some criminals heading for the venue of the rally. 

“On their way to the venue , the buses and their occupants will be arrested and the contents of the buses displayed for all to see as a major security breakthrough .

“The arrested persons will in addition mention the names of some ADC top members as their financiers , necessitating their arrest and subsequent prosecution under the Anti- terrorism Act .

“This plot is aimed at arresting and incarcerating our key leaders and keeping them away from circulation throughout the elections.

“This will be done in connection with the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW), Oyo state branch. It is clear now that the NURTW is working with ruling party in the state in doing everything possible to win election through rigging and violence.

“Part of the evidence that there is working relationship between ruling party and the NURTW in Oyo state is that there is no ruling party’s campaign rally in the state that the leader of NURTW will not mobilize their members to attend in multitude apart from addressing campaign rally of the ruling party as front line members.

“Also the forceful mounting of campaign banner of ruling party gubernatorial and Oyo south senatorial candidates on most of the taxi cabs by NURTW leaders against the wishes of taxi drivers and vehicle owners.

“Taxi drivers and vehicle owners have tired of ruling party in Oyo state over various bogus levies imposed on them by the State government through the NURTW.

“With this, our confidence in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain unbias umpire is in doubt in conducting free and fear election.

“We want to bring it to the notice of general public that there is Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between INEC and NURTW on the movement of voting materials and staff to every polling booth and units.

(With this development of the NURTW as an arm of the ruling party in the state in electioneering process, and the signing of MoU by INEC and NURTW, there is no doubt the trio will not work together on the election days.

“We want to clearly advise that this kind of arrangement and action must not be executed under any guise as it will only underscore the allegation that there is exists plan to rig the elections and make it to attain premeditated goal of rigging in favour of the ruling party. 

“We however, ask our members, supporters and party leaders to remain law abiding and reinvigorate further plans to protect ADC interest.

“We want to state further that if the planned frame up arrests are done, it will only heat up the polity and poses a danger to this nascent democracy.

“To avoid this, the Oyo state ADC is calling on President Muhammodu Buhari who had promised to conduct free and fear election to investigate the allegation. We are also calling on international community to focus on Oyo state during the electioneering process.

“There is a compelling need for all Nigerians as well to protect and rescue our democracy and not to allow despotism and fascism to replace it”, Olatunji concluded.