The campaign team of Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, has accused supporters of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) of attacking two APC members at the Ibadan North Local Government Secretariat.
The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO) made the allegation on Thursday, following an incident involving Abiola Abulesowo and Abanise Olanrewaju at the secretariat on Wednesday.
According to the campaign organisation, the two APC members had accompanied a newly registered voter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office located within the local government secretariat when they were allegedly confronted by individuals identified as APM supporters.
SSACO Director of Media and Publicity, Bisi Oladele, subsequently called on APM governorship candidate, Bimbo Adekanmbi, to caution his supporters against further attacks on opposition members.
Abulesowo, one of the alleged victims, said the confrontation began after the men questioned why APC members had entered the local government secretariat, which they claimed was controlled by the APM.
He said the two men explained that the secretariat was a public facility accessible to Nigerians irrespective of political affiliation, but alleged that they were subsequently assaulted.
According to him, the attackers allegedly slapped and punched them before pursuing them as they attempted to escape.
Abulesowo further alleged that the pair encountered another group of men at a bus stop, whom he described as PMS thugs, who allegedly continued the assault, tore their clothes and humiliated them.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 1pm on Wednesday.
Reacting to the development, SSACO condemned what it described as political violence and urged Adekanmbi and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to call their supporters to order.
“This condemnable act is another incident in an ugly trend of muscling the opposition in Oyo State under Governor Seyi Makinde’s leadership,” Oladele said in the statement.
The organisation also accused the state government and the APM of using political influence to intimidate opposition members.
SSACO urged political actors in the state to focus on issues and peaceful campaigning ahead of the 2027 elections rather than resorting to intimidation or violence.
“Governor Makinde and Adekanmbi should stop this provocation and follow the path of peaceful campaign. We urge them to embrace peace and focus on issues, not attacks,” the organisation said.
The campaign organisation also called on the Oyo State Commissioner of Police to investigate the alleged assault and ensure that anyone found responsible faces the law.
