Hammed Shittu in Ilorin
Two people were reportedly injured Thursday during an alleged attack on the convoy of Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo in Ilorin, Kwara State capital
Osinbajo was in Ilorin on door-to-door consultations with the leaders of All Progressives Congress(APC) in the state ahead of Saturday’s polls in the country.
Though the details of the incident were yet to be ascertained officially last night , security sources confirmed that the development occurred around Isale Aluko area of the metropolis where Osinbajo had gone on his door -to- door campaign in the state capital.
A police source who pleaded anonymity told journalists last night that the incident actually occurred after the vice president’s convoy had left the vicinity.
Meanwhile, the two major political parties in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have blamed each other for the attack which came barely 24 hours after a clash between the two parties at Ojoku, Oyun Local Government Area of the state left two people dead and several others injured.
While the APC claimed the attack on Osinbajo was masterminded by PDP elements, the main opposition party in the country insisted that the attack stemmed from disagreement on how to share money allegedly given to political thugs working for the APC.
A statement issued last night by the media aide to the APC governorship candidate in the state, Abdulrazaq Abdulrahaman, Mr. Rafiu Ajakaiye, claimed that “the vice president was at Isale Aluko suburb of Ilorin on a door-to-door campaign when some dare-devil gunmen opened fire at his convoy, which included thousands of APC members and supporters.”
The statement called for immediate arrest and prosecution of those behind the incident as well as investigations to reveal those who gave the orders for the attacks.
But in its own statement, the PDP denied involvement in the attack saying Osinbajo had even visited the Agbajit family home of Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki without any untoward incident.
In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Tunde Ashaolu, PDP said “Osinbajo was in Ilorin for the door-to-door campaign rally of his party, APC and other activities of the party, when his convoy was attacked.
“The incident was an intra party affair involving members of the APC, arising from the endless crisis confronting the party.”
He added that crisis broke out when Osinbajo got to Alanamu ward of Isale-Aluko, which is the base of two former governorship aspirants of the APC, Lukman Mustapha and Moshood Mustapha, which has been engulfed in superiority war.
The statement noted that, “It was also gathered that the money released to be shared among party supporters triggered the violence. Our party has no time for violence as we have been busy preparing for the presidential and National Assembly elections coming up on Saturday as well as the governorship and State Assembly elections.”
