The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State has expressed shock at the reaction of the Osun Command of the Nigeria Police towards its pre-campaign rally which was held in Osogbo on Friday, May 13, 2022.
This is as the party also condemned the Police for raising issues over the pre-campaign rally, as it formally notified the Command of its intention to hold a peaceful procession by its supporters who had come out en-masse to show their unwavering love for their candidate.
The PDP, which expressed dismay by the police correspondence to that effect, in a petition signed by Adekunle Akindele, its Osun Chairman, Caretaker Committee accused the police of clear bias towards the party and their planned peaceful rally.
According to the petition, “The Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State wishes to put it to the Osun State Command of the Nigeria Police that the clear bias engraved in the tone of their correspondence to our party on the said rally, was unambiguous instigation of breach of the same public peace you are trying to prevent.
“While we understand the plight of the Nigeria Police at this difficult time of working under a despotic ruling party, but, it is unprofessional for the Police, who are the main anchor of security in our society, to make themselves available as tools of intimidation by the ruling APC.
“Such unbridled act of muscling of free assembly of the people by an important institution of government like the Nigerian Police, especially during electioneering as backed by electoral act and supreme laws of the land, is not only absurd but capable of perverting the course of fairness in a democratic society, which remains the only antidote to breach of the public peace.
“We want to reiterate the commitment of Osun PDP to public peace and welfare of our people. As we enter the period of campaigns and rallies ahead of the July 16 Governorship election in Osun, we wish to restate that the PDP, which remains the most loved and supported party in the state will continue to witness massive turnout of supporters and followers in all our campaign venues. While we seek the Command’s understanding of this fact, we promise to ensure that our activities during the period would not in any way disrupt or breach the public peace.”
The PDP, which assured that it would continue to ensure that its electioneering activity is conducted peacefully, also condemned attempts by the Police to castigate it for no just cause.
The party hinted that it was not unmindful of the collaborative silence of the Police over the alleged “rascally conducts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent times, especially the party’s habitual sweeping of PDP campaign venues after rallies”, noted that it was a clear recipe to political chaos.
“But in all of these, we have maintained peace and never responded in measure of APC’s seeming drum of war.
“It is, therefore, confounding that the same police who have watched without raising a finger of check on the recklessness of APC, are the ones complaining about a peaceful rally of our great party.
“It is also on record that our opponents have obstructed free flow of traffic in the State times without number, including but not limited to the APC rally held in Ile-Ife, yesterday, 19th of May, 2022. The same rally train moved from the supposed approved venue of Enuwa to major roads in Ile-Ife, causing untold hardship to road users with heavy gridlock. Where and how the police now derived inspiration to castigate our party days after holding our rally from the approved spot is beyond us,” the party said.
The PDP urged the Osun Police Command to weigh their actions, public utterances and conducts so as not to embolden war mongers and political urchins to unleash violence on law abiding PDP members.
“Our party refuses to be intimidated while we crave for more professional understanding and handling of issues by the Osun State Command of the Nigerian Police,” the party stated.
