The continuous voters registration exercise by the Independent National Electoral Commission which started in Osun State on Wednesday was marred with violence in some parts of the state.
The exercise is part of the preparations of the electoral body for the conduct of the August 9 governorship election coming up in the state.
Our correspondent gathered that there were cases of attacks in Ife and Ilesa as thugs unleashed violence on some people.
Also, some of those who turned out for the registration exercise could not be attended to because some of the direct data capture machines used for the registration were faulty.
It was not clear who started the violence but the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state and the Peoples Democratic Party accused each other of sponsoring the violence.
The Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the APC in Osun State, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, in a statement said that some thugs allegedly led by some leaders of the PDP unleashed terror on some of his party members and loyalists at Ile Ife.
One of the prominent governorship aspirants of the PDP, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is from Ile Ife.
The statement reads, “We also bring to the attention of the public and Prof. Attahiru Jega, the INEC Chairman, the acts of thuggery and brigandage being perpetrated by some leaders and agents of the PDP attacking registration centres and maiming agents and supporters of our party.
“In Ife East Local Government, some PDP thugs moved round the entire registration centres and attacked everybody on sight. They were in Okerewe Ward 1 and 2 where our party agents and many of our supporters were wounded. A number of them have been rushed to the hospital for medical attention.
“They particularly went to No 1, Mosalasi Lane, Itakogun, Ile-Ife, where they attacked the mother of the Executive Secretary of Ife East Local Government and some other people.”
But the Chairman of the PDP in the state, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, in an interview with journalists said that four members of the PDP were shot at Atakumosa while eight were brutalised by some thugs allegedly hired by the ruling party.
He said that APC thugs led by some of the party leaders went round and chased away known members of the PDP from registration units. Governor Rauf Aregbesola is an indigene of Ilesa where the attack allegedly took place.
Olaoluwa said, “We have been saying it that the APC is a violent party. They shot four of our people today and brutalised eight others. Some of the victims were taken to the hospital for treatment.
“ The party is jittery because they know that they are not wanted in Osun State. Osun belongs to the PDP and we are going to flush them out this August.”
The PDP chairman in Osun East Senatorial District, Mr. Joshua Ogunleye, also said that some known APC thugs fired several gun shots at Ifewara and Okebode to scare people away from the registration exercise.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Folasade Odoro, when contacted said that he would find out and call back. She did not call back as of the time of filing this report.
News Source: PUNCH
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