Date: 2015-03-08

As the March 28 and April 11 general elections draw nearer, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has cried out over an alleged plot by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to unleash terror on innocent citizens and political opponents.

Though the PDP had swiftly denied this allegation, the state chairman of APC, Hon Ishola Balogun-Fulani, alleged that the PDP, realising that it could not make any impressive outing in the forthcoming elections, has constituted a “war council” to perpetrate crisis in the state ahead of the rescheduled elections.

Balogun-Fulani raised the alarm at a crowded press conference he addressed along side other chieftains of the party in Ilorin, the state capital.

He alleged that the APC uncovered the PDP’s plot after its state chairman, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, constituted a 21 member “war council” at a meeting it held on February 21 at the PDP state secretariat along Asa-dam, road Ilorin.

Balogun-Fulani said the latest move of the PDP was as a result of the shocking discovery by its leadership that the party was not well grounded in eight out of the 16 local government areas of the state.

This is why they have decided to unleash terror on APC members and set the state on fire ahead of the general elections, he said.

“I wish to bring to your notice, the war mongering statement being perpetrated by the state leadership of the PDP in Kwara State.

“In a meeting by the top leaders of the party on February 21, 2015 at the PDP secretariat, Asa Dam Road Ilorin, the state chairman of the party, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo, openly declared in his speech that the party (PDP) was at war in the state.

He went further to ask the leaders of the party to form a “21 war council members” of the people who are professionals in this field and went further to suggest names of people who understood the science of security and are professionally trained,”Balogum-Fulani claimed.

He also alleged that he has received letters of complaints of APC members that are marked for possible arrest and those to unleash terror attack on before and during the general elections as being bandied in Oke-Ero, Ekiti and Ilorin East local government branches of the party.

“As a prelude to this development, the state had recently witnessed an unprecedented level of violence led by PDP members as reported in Ilorin West LGA. This report has been sent to the office of commissioner of police, Kwara State. Most of the LGAs chapters of APC in Kwara are witnessing harassments and assaults from the hands of PDP thugs. Complaints had been made to the police.

“This is very alarming, and as a law-abiding party, the APC decided it very fit to bring these ugly incidents to the attention of the public. What is more alarming is the war mongering statements from the state chairman of PDP, Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo. It appears to us that the leaders of PDP in Kwara State have fore-knowledge of these violence and perhaps hidden-agenda.

“Also attached in evidence are the letters of complaints of APC members that are marked for possible arrest and those to unleash terror attack before and during the general elections as claimed by Oke-Ero, Ekiti and Ilorin East local government branch of our party APC.

“This press conference becomes expediently necessary to forestall any likely breakdown of law and order as a law abiding party. Hence, the need to expedite action to curtail any unwholesome situation in our state of harmony”, Balogun-Fulani stated.

But in a swift reaction, the PDP deputy governorship candidate, Alhaji Yinka Aluko, said the committee was not set up to perpetrate violence but to come up with strategy on how to win election for the party.

“I hope this will not be misconstrued with the aim of calling a dog a bad name with the intention to hang it. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing like war council, there will be no war, we can only fight war with our PVCs”, he said.

However, in his efforts to ensure a rancor free elections in the state, the Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, had recently organised a special prayer for a peaceful, free, fair and violence-free general elections in the state.

The prayer session was led by the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammad Bashir Solihu.

The Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Mohammed Woru explained that the Emir organised the prayer for peace and tranquility to reign in the state before, during and after the elections.

“He prayed for peace and tranquility. He prayed for our leaders, he prayed for the followership and he enjoined politicians to regard politics as service to humanity, not a do-or-die affair. He said he doesn’t want bloodbath”.

The Grand Khadi of the state, Justice Salihu Mohammed, in a remark said: “This is why so many of us love the Emir of Ilorin. We in Ilorin, it is our culture to confront any situation that is dicey with special prayer and it is a legacy inherited by the Emir of Ilorin.

“With the prayers, we have confidence that we would have an election that would be free, fair and very clear that everybody would be in peace before, during and after the election.

“You can see the tension everywhere. In order to douse this tension, the only thing we can do as Nigerians is to be closer to God. Pray to God and our former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon emphasises it that Nigerians should be full of special prayers for Allah to save us from doom of any kind of trouble”.

Also commenting, a former state grand khadi, Justice Imam Fulani, said prayer is mostly needed at this critical period. He praised the emir for organising the prayer for the peace of the state and by extension, the entire country.