Key Takeaways
- The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State alleges that Dele Ayegbo, nephew of its campaign Director-General Wole Oke, was killed ahead of Saturday's governorship election.
- Ayegbo was reportedly gunned down on Wednesday night in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area, by suspected political thugs.
- The APC directly accuses the Accord Party of orchestrating the attack, claiming it's part of a broader pattern of violence against its members.
- Another victim sustained gunshot wounds and is receiving medical treatment.
- The party has called for an urgent and thorough investigation by the Osun State Police Command, citing a history of unaddressed political violence.
Tensions have reached a critical peak in Osun State just days before the highly anticipated governorship election, following grave allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that a relative of a prominent party official has been brutally murdered. The APC claims that Dele Ayegbo, nephew to the party's campaign Director-General, Wole Oke, was gunned down, casting a dark shadow over the electoral process.
In a statement released on Thursday, Kola Olabisi, spokesperson for the Osun APC, detailed the tragic incident, asserting that Ayegbo was killed on Wednesday night. The alleged attack occurred near his residence in the Idofin area of Esa-Oke, situated within the Obokun Local Government Area. According to the party's account, the assailants were suspected hoodlums operating from a vehicle, suggesting a targeted strike.
"The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the killing of the party's governorship campaign Director-General, Wole Oke's nephew, Dele Ayegbo, in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Council Area of the state on Wednesday night by the hit squad of the Accord Party who have been terrorising the members and supporters of the opposition APC across the state," the statement read, directly implicating a rival political faction. "Information has it that Ayegbo was gunned down at the road junction close to his house at the Idofin quarters area of the ancient town by the Accord Party hoodlums who were riding in a car."
Olabisi further clarified that two party members were targeted in the shooting. While Ayegbo tragically died instantly at the scene, the second victim sustained severe gunshot wounds and was immediately rushed to an undisclosed local hospital for urgent medical treatment. This incident underscores the volatile political climate pervading the state.
Describing the escalating violence as utterly intolerable, Olabisi issued a fervent demand for immediate and decisive action from law enforcement agencies. "The killing of the nephew of our campaign Director-general in Esa-Oke is one death too many which must be urgently unravelled by the police in the interest of fairness and justice," he asserted, emphasizing the need for accountability.
Decrying what he termed a rising tide of political violence, Olabisi claimed that more than 30 APC members have been killed by political thugs since 2022, with Ijesaland bearing the heaviest toll, accounting for 17 of those fatalities. This statistic, if verified, paints a grim picture of pre-election security challenges.
"A common observation has been that whenever our members were killed, the self-acclaimed chief security officer of the state would not condemn the killing which gives credence to his approval of the rampant extra-judicial killings of our members and supporters in the state," Olabisi further claimed, implicitly criticizing the incumbent administration's response to the violence.
He urged the Osun State Police Command to intervene swiftly and decisively before voters head to the polls on August 15, alleging that the latest attack was deliberately designed to intimidate the electorate. "The purpose is to scare away our members and supporters from exercising their civic responsibility on Saturday,\