Ogun PDP leaders claim death threats
OGUN State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has denied imposing candidates for the local councils’ polls on the party and asked members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the state to unite for the party’s victory at the forthcoming local council polls.
The governor made the appeal at a meeting of the leadership of Ogun ACN with the former aspirants and candidates for the 20 chairmanship positions on the party’s platform at the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta.
Meanwhile, the crisis within the state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has taken a new shape as a faction of the party has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar and the Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS) over an alleged threat to the lives of some leaders of the party.
Amosun said the task of having 20 of over 200 aspirants would naturally not be easy but urged ACN faithful “to go to the battle united, just like the symbol of our party, the broom.”
“We should not play into the hands of those who don’t mean well for us or the state. We should do everything in the overall interest of our people and party. It is the party that has the final say. I did not even know some of the aspirants until today yesterday. The party is bigger than anyone,” he said.
While urging party members to work hard for success at the polls, he noted that “we are not a party that uses cudgels, machete and guns or believe in rituals, murder or rigging of elections in order to win or retain power.”
The chairman of ACN, Alhaji Tajudeen Bello, said the party had given equal opportunity to all aspirants, adding that the candidates “are ambassadors of our party.”
The PDP in the petition dated June 27, 2012 and signed by the Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the party, Chief Ireti Oniyide, a copy of which was made available to The Guardian, alleged that a party leader (name withheld) was planning “to assassinate some leaders of the party in Ogun including Bode Mustapha, Senator Lekan Mustapha, Dave Salako, and Mr. Tunde Oladunjoye.
