PDP, APC trade words over attacks

BY DAPO AKINREFON & GBENGA ARIYIBI The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described as “barbaric, callous and primitive” the attack on campaign office of the party’s 2014 governorship candidate, Mr Peter Ayodele Fayose, in Ado Ekiti on Monday. In a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, Pastor Kola Oluwawole, the party said the kind of naked and wanton display of power by the alleged APC thugs on Monday, who shelled the campaign office with bullets, had never happened in the history of Ekiti State. Oluwawole alleged that when the convoy of Governor Fayemi was driving past Fayose’s campaign office, some Fayemi thugs allegedly fired shots at them without being provoked by four aides of Fayose who were rightly sitting in the inner room and did not know what transpired outside until they had gun shots directed at the office building. The party spokesperson further alleged that “less than five minutes after the convoy of Governor Fayemi had driven past the campaign, about ten of the APC thugs on the convoy returned to the campaign office, entered the premises and shattered the building window glasses and vehicles parked within the premises with bullets. Four aides of Fayose in the office at that time escaped death by whiskers.” “This action of Fayemi is very absurd and he should never think that he has monopoly of violence,” he stated. However, the PDP has appealed to its members to remain calm, law abiding and never take law into their hands saying “governor Fayemi should not dissipate energy on violence and vanity, rather should save his energy till June 21 when he will be booted out of office”, he said. APC reacts In its reaction, the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation said it will never do anything to truncate the peace in Ekiti State. Spokesperson of the campaign organisation, Mr Dimeji Daniels said “the APC-led government in Ekiti State, as can be attested to by Ekiti people, restored peace to the state. It will never do anything to truncate that peace.” Speaking further, he said, “the State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has always harped on the need for peace. Even at difficult times when his supporters or members of his party were attacked, he did not deviate from the path of peace. I would advise the Labour Party and the PDP to think of another tactic to draw attention.”