Ogun Campaign Attack: Police Arraign 4 As PDP Accuses Abiodun Of Harassing Members

Fresh facts have emerged that four people have been arraigned before the court over the alleged violent attack against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon Oladipupo Adebutu’s campaign convoy in the Ososa axis of Odogbolu local government area.

The state chairman of the party, Dr Abayomi Tella disclosed this while speaking with LEADERSHIP Sunday during an inquiry to ascertain the current status of the attack allegedly carried out on the party’s campaign convoy in Odogbolu LGA.

Tella disclosed that the suspects are all members of the state chapter of the PDP despite the fact that it was their party convoy that was attacked, saying they were also admitted to bail after their counsel had moved such motion before the court.

Speaking in an interview, the PDP state chairman particularly fingered the incumbent state governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun in the orchestrated plans to silence his party members and coerce them into submission from campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections in the state.

He specifically mentioned the state Police command in the scheming to deploy state machineries to coerce PDP into submission for the 2027 general election’s electioneering campaign.

Prior to Saturday’s disclosure that his party members were arraigned, Tella had at a press briefing on Friday alleged that the state, through the Ogun State Signage and Advertising Agency (OGSAA), denied the PDP access to erect billboard spaces for its governorship candidate despite its several requests for such.

“The ruling All Progressives Congress in the state had been using its incumbency to harass, deny and victimise our party and members in recent times.

“The PDP has been denied access to billboard spaces for our governorship candidate. We have tried a lot, but up till now, we are still being denied, whereas other political parties are allowed to erect their billboards across Ogun State, despite all notifications to the agencies concerned, particularly OGSAA.

“I was a former director with OGSAA and I knew that the agency takes direct instructions from the incumbent state governor. By implication, Abiodun is directly or indirectly responsible because OGSAA wouldn’t have rejected our application to erect billboards if not acting under a particular instruction,” he said.

Aside denying his party the needed opportunity to erect billboards, Tella also alleged that the Dapo Abiodun-led APC administration denied its Ogun East Senatorial District campaign flag-off at Idowa last Wednesday, despite having paid the stipulated N170,000 saying it is “a well-orchestrated plan” to frustrate PDP’s campaign efforts in the state.

“We met the Olotu, and he gave approval for us to use the venue and provided the community account into which we paid the required sum of N170,000. We have the payment receipt available with us.

“Surprisingly, we were stopped from holding the rally a few hours before the event. As a party, we had to look for another venue, and we then moved to Odogbolu,” he said.

He further explained that on their way to Odogbolu, on getting to Ososa, the last batches of vehicles in the convoy were attacked with gunshots, stones and other weapons but “our people were able to escape.

“I reported the case at the police station, including the Idowa and Igbeba Area Command. It is sad that the police have now arrested PDP members who are meant to be the complainants.

“These complainants are from the people who were attacked, and they are our members. But they are the ones the police are now arresting, while the perpetrators of the attack against us have been left untouched.”

When contacted to clear the air on the allegation of being used as a state security agency to victimise political parties in the state, the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Oluseyi Babaseyi would neither speak on the matter, nor confirm the total number of suspects arrested in connection with the alleged gun attack against the PDP campaign convoy in Ososa as at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, Tella has vowed that his party would not succumb to any form of harassment, intimidation or other plans to silence it from campaigning, stressing that “no amount of attack can destabilise us.”