A street campaign organised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in support of its governorship candidate for the August 15 Osun State governorship election, Bola Oyebamiji, turned tragic on Wednesday after a truck rammed into participants in Ede, leaving one person dead and seven others injured. The deceased was identified as AbdulRasaq Ahmed.
The incident occurred as members of the campaign procession approached the Oke Gada area of Ede during the mobilisation exercise.
Confirming the development, the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee of the Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji Campaign Committee, Remi Omowaiye, said the injured victims were receiving treatment at private hospitals in Ofatedo and Ede.
He added that one of the injured victims was in critical condition.
“One person was killed in the accident. Seven others were injured, but one out of the seven was critically injured,” he said.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, alleged that the tragedy could have been prevented if traffic instructions issued by officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) had been obeyed.
The witness said FRSC personnel deployed to the rally had directed motorists to use one lane of the road while APC supporters occupied the other lane for the procession.
“It was a sad incident and one which could have been avoided. The coordinator of the Federal Road Safety Corps had earlier directed that vehicles should use one lane of the road while APC members used the other lane.
“However, the truck driver drove through the lane we were walking on and rammed into the crowd. The boy was killed in the process, while many got injured and are receiving treatment at the hospital,” the eyewitness said.
Following the incident, the running mate to the APC governorship candidate, Benjamin Adereti, visited the family of the deceased to offer condolences and called on security agencies to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Adereti said the nature of the incident raised questions that should be thoroughly examined by investigators.
“We are still trying to unravel the reason behind this. The way the incident happened looked like the truck deliberately rammed into our party members in Ede while campaigning.
“I want to call on the security agencies in Osun and Nigeria to carry out a thorough investigation into the immediate and remote causes of this incident,” he said.
Adereti also alleged that the incident could have been politically motivated, claiming that if it was an attempt by Governor Ademola Adeleke and the Accord Party to disrupt the APC campaign, it would not deter the party’s activities.
He further sympathised with the family of AbdulRasaq Ahmed, describing the death as painful and praying for divine comfort for the bereaved family.
Authorities had yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
