Jandor, Lagos PDP supporters cry out over incessant attacks by political thugs

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos, Olajide Adediran has called on the top hierarchy of the Nigeria Police Force to step up protection for him and members of his team who he said have come under incessant attacks in the cause of their campaigns across all the 245 wards in the state.

Adediran said his campaign train has come under attacks in Badagry, Agege, Kosofe and most recently, Surulere and called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Independent National Electoral Commission to intervene in the attacks so as not to jeopardise democracy in the state.

Adediran, while addressing journalists in Lagos on Sunday, said the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state is trying hard to twist the narrative of what transpired when members of his campaign team came under attack at Aguda Surulere area of the state on Friday. He said the true story behind the viral video in circulation showing some thugs with a PDP branded vehicle running around on a street with guns and other dangerous weapons, is that thugs sponsored by the APC had launched an attack on them in Aguda, Surulere where he had gone to observe his Jumat prayer in a bid to prevent his team from campaigning in the area. He said the thugs hijacked one of their vehicles while they damaged others before unleashing more violnce on the community.

He said it was not possible for members of his team to attack the same people to whom they had gone to campaign.

Adediran, popularly called Jandor, condemned his opponent, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu who is also the Chief Security Officer of the state, for keeping silent over the attacks.

The PDP candidate also narrated how his runningmate, Funke Akindele was chased away by thugs when she went to campaign at the fruit market in Kosofe. He said despite the attacks on his campaign team, he won’t back out.

“It is our constitutional right to campaign, we won’t succumb”, he said at the briefing.

He said nobody has been held responsible for the attacks by the police despite the fact that the incidents are always reported to the police. He called on the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba to wade in as a matter of urgency.

He said: “We still want the IGP to take these happenings in Lagos State very seriously.

“Police should please live up to its constitutional responsibility of protecting our lives amd property.”

Some traders who are supporters of the PDP candidate also alleged that they have suffered several attacks, harrassment, and denied the opportunity to carry out their trade because of their support for the PDP in Lagos State.

One of the traders, Adeniyi Idowu, also known as ‘Iyalaya’ a  fruit seller at the Jakande market, said she got a call that the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP, Funke Akindele, was at the market entrance and had made an elaborate arrangement to welcome her with a music band when some thugs with dangerous weapons suddenly pounced on them as the market Secretary vowed that the campaign would not hold. She added that after the campaign had been thwarted, around 3 PM on the same day, another market executive came and ordered some thugs armed with dangerous  weapons including guns and cutlasses to destroy the wares of those supporting the opposition PDP.

She said the matter was reported at the Ketu Police Divsion but that no concrete action was taken to protect them from the thugs and make them return to the market without any fear of harrassment.

Another trader at Agege market, Alimi Tawa, narrated how she and her colleague alongside a customer were discussing the negative impact of the economy on their livelihood.

She added that the customer had told them to vote out the APC  and support the PDP for a positive change to which they agreed and openly expressed their support. She said unknown to them, some traders overheard them and reported them to the market leadership who evicted them from the market saying “the market is owned by the APC and not the PDP”.

“They said we should go to PDP market to sell our wares”, she said.

Also speaking, a member of the party in Surulere, Arike Akinde, said on Thursday around 11:30 PM, the ward chairman hoisted their party’s campaign banner but shortly afterwards, two commercial buses popularly called ‘danfo’ with some thugs drove into the area asking for the PDP chairman. But she said they didn’t succeed in their mission to hurt the Chairman.

However, according to her, some thugs with guns and machetes and other dangerous weapons, returned about 8am the following morning driving in about four vehicles. They destroyed the canopy that they had put up in readiness for the arrival of the PDP campaign train and started shooting which disrupted the peace of the community.