Date: 2014-06-19

The Kwara State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has berated the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state for dancing on the grave of one Mr. Tajudeen Eba, who was consumed by PDP's boundless affinity for brutality, bloodshed and violence while urging the Inspector General of Police, Mr Abubakar Mohammed to arrest PDP chairman, Mr Iyiola Oyedepo in order to end violence in Kwara State.

The APC had earlier condemned the gruesome murder of Mr Tajudeen Eba, who was a member of the opposition PDP until his life was truncated by PDP thugs due to controversies on the sharing formula of a largesse given to PDP members by a former senator in Kwara State while stressing that PDP has resulted to outright lies to confuse Kwarans about how Mr Eba was murdered.

In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari, the party said a murder case is a criminal case even if it happens at political arena and the killing of the deceased must be taken as such by the Police Command.

"Essentially, the deceased did not defect from APC to PDP but was a well-known member of the PDP as confirmed by family sources and neighbours. So it could not have been that APC supporters attacked him because he left the APC as the lying PDP has been propagating falsehood. The deceased was never an APC member.

"Additionally, it has been widely reported in the media that PDP thugs clashed with one another as they could not agree on sharing formula for a largesse doled out to them by a PDP leader. It was a PDP affair. What role could the APC have played? The APC was neither the donor nor the beneficiary. The PDP is just crying foul.

"We have on several occasions alerted Kwarans on the violent activities and tendencies of the opposition PDP, Kwarans have rejected the inept PDP. All Kwarans must disassociate themselves from a party that primes its bruised ego with the blood of our people.

"Before nocturnal and desperate politicians who pride themselves as PDP leaders started visiting Kwara State in preparation for 2015 elections, there was relative peace. Before the PDP gathered sworn enemies of Kwara State at Abuja to raise funds, thuggery was not well-funded. Does it mean that the funds have been channelled to thuggery? Is this the product of the highly publicised re-branding of Kwara PDP? The present state of Kwara PDP justifies our stand that nothing has changed about Kwara PDP when it attempted to hoodwink Kwarans with chants of pseudo-rebranding. The ultimate aim of the PDP is to make Kwara State ungovernable - the PDP will certainly meet resistant from the good people of Kwara State and the Peace-loving administration in Kwara State led by Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

"As a matter of history, while the APC has no issue of violence, the PDP has fertile record of violence. The PDP has been indicted in all the fracas that have occurred in our dear state. It was PDP thugs that disrupted business activities and destroyed properties at Post Office, Taiwo Isale, Niger Road, Unity Road and other areas of the State on a Monday in protest to the failure of PDP Leadership to fulfil promises made to the thugs that were mobilized to a PDP rally held a day earlier and attended by President Goodluck Jonathan. It was PDP that held bloody congresses in Kwara State that led to loss of lives while many were left brutally wounded. It was a PDP chieftain and member of Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon Ilyasu Ibrahim and his son that were arrested with loads of ammunition. It was at the residence of former Kwara State PDP Caretaker Chairman, Solomon Edoja, that gang of PDP thugs were arrested with firearms and guns. It was the clash of PDP thugs at PDP senatorial meeting at Oro Lodo primary school, Omu-Aran, last Saturday that resulted into violence at the entire stretch of the area. The list is endless. Kwarans have not heard the last of these criminal cases and we warn the Police Command not to sweep these pure criminal cases under the carpet. Kwarans deserve justice in the interest of peace in Kwara State.

Obviously, the Chairman of PDP, Mr Iyiola Oyedepo is overwhelmed by the litany of crises in his party. It is either he lacks the capacity to lead the few people in PDP or he is the commander of the evil plot to make Kwara State ungovernable. In line with the above established facts, the APC calls on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Abubakar Mohammed to order the arrest of PDP chairman for his role in the series of violence the PDP has melted on the good people of Kwara State. The prosecution of PDP chairman will certainly put an end to thuggery and violence in Kwara State.

We commiserate with the family of the deceased and pray for repose of his soul while we urge the good people of Kwara State to disregard the outright lies been propagated by the violent PDP as the PDP is renowned for falsehood and violence.