What was meant to be a crucial Oyo South Senatorial Stakeholders Meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ended in chaos on Monday after suspected political thugs invaded the Oyo State Local Government Service Commission, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
The meeting like others held for Oyo North and Oyo Central Senatorial District, convened to harmonize positions ahead of the forthcoming PDP primaries, was thrown into disarray forcing party leaders, aspirants , and invited stakeholders to flee for safety.
Multiple eyewitnesses at the venue alleged that the group of thugs loyal to political actors, also as aspirants in 2027 general elections.
Mrs. Folake Ajibade, a party member from Ibadan South West, said: “We know some of those boys. They move with Guber aspirant from Ìbàdàn. They were the ones shouting his name and kept pushing people at the entrance to force their way in. They broke the entrance door due to their recalcitrant attitude.”
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The political actors came in with the boys. They were chanting their names as they forced their way into the hall,.
One of the attendees who spoke under condition of anonymity said, the thugs overpowered security men at the gate, shattered the glass entrance door, and stormed the meeting hall chanting names of their sponsors. He added that when party officials insisted on following the meeting agenda, the situation degenerated.
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Governor Seyi Makinde was absent from the stakeholders’ meeting. Attendees at the meeting remarked that his presence could have brought orderliness to the gathering and tame potential breach of peace as orchestrated by political thugs.
Mrs Ajibade noted that Governor Makinde believes in peaceful and development politics. He stressed that tensed atmosphere was uncalled with invasion of the venue by political thugs.
