The Ekiti State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Jide Awe, monday alleged plans by the opposition to attack the Ekiti state Government House, South – West Nigeria with explosive devices.
The party also accused the Felix Uyanna-led Police Command in the state of constituting a major opposition to the APC in the build up to the election, saying: “If not for partisanship, they could not have been watching when a serving Commissioner, Mrs. Ronke Okunsanya, was being attacked by opposition thugs in Efon Alaaye on Sunday.”
Addressing a press conference in Ado Ekiti, Awe said: “The party has it on good authority that members of opposition were planning to detonate bomb at the government house and also in our secretariat.
“We have to take extra caution. The police that would have dealt with the situation have become partisan which is highly unfortunate.”
According to the APC chieftain, the alleged partisanship of the police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has worsened the situation, alleging that the attackers of Okunsanya were allegedly sponsored by a serving Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, whom he alleged is a supporter of the state governorship candidate on the platform of People Democratic Party(PDP), Mr. Ayo Fayose.
“We never loved to resort to self-help, but this will not augur well for the nation. If the police cannot protect us, then we will resort to self-help and that will be sad. It is unfortunate that it is the federal government that has been backing them to do all these.
“Part of their plan is to announce the state election results in Abuja. The state election is a test case to what will happen in 2015. But we are determined to resist them and we shall ensure that this election is free and fair,” he said.
Awe also blamed the Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, for the violence which occurred in Ikere Ekiti between Labour Party (LP) and APC members during Hon Opeyemi Bamidele’s rally in the town, where one person was shot and several people wounded, including journalists with the African Independent Television (AIT).
Awe said: “Mimiko cannot make Ekiti a vassal State. Ekiti State will resist him at the appropriate time. We will tell Ade Basket who is the leader of thugs in Ondo State that Ekiti State cannot be their abode. We will be vigilant to protect our people against the opposition onslaught.”
In his reactions, the Ekiti State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Victor Babayemi, described the APC statement as very unfortunate, saying: “They are only trying to make the police the scapegoat and we will not tolerate that.
“We have been fair to all parties in the build up to the election but the politicians are behaving irresponsibly, so rather than blaming us, the APC must look inward and stop rubbishing the good work we are doing in the state.
“The APC members are always the first to launch attacks based on our series of investigations and they are always the one to first blow the whistle that they are under attack.”
