Accord Supporters Attacked in Oyo, APC Demands Probe

Hundreds of supporters of the Accord Party governorship candidate in Oyo State, Oriyomi Hamzat, were attacked by suspected hoodlums during a procession in the Molete area of Ibadan on Wednesday.

The Oyo State Police Command confirmed the incident, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) called for a full investigation.

The procession had been organised to welcome Hamzat, a radio presenter and Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Agidigbo 88.7 FM, back to Nigeria from the United Kingdom. Supporters were pelted with stones by yet-to-be-identified suspected street urchins.

Some party members sustained injuries, and vehicles in the campaign convoy were vandalised, according to eyewitnesses.Police Public Relations Officer Olayinka Ayanlade said: “I am aware of the attacks.

The loyalists of Hamzat were ambushed during a peaceful procession at Molete end of the ancient city.”Multiple eyewitnesses reported that the prompt intervention of security personnel and Hamzat’s efforts to restrain his supporters prevented any retaliatory response.

One witness confirmed that the supporters insisted no amount of intimidation would deter them from backing their preferred candidate.

In a statement issued by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the Oyo APC urged security agencies to thoroughly investigate the attack on the Accord campaign team.

The party also criticised Governor Seyi Makinde over an alleged directive to Park Management System (PMS) officials requiring commercial motorists to display only campaign materials of African Peoples Movement (APM) candidates on their vehicles, including tricycles and motorcycles.

The APC noted that its members had been attacked in three different locations in Ibadan the previous week, attributing the violence to “APM gladiators” linked to the political thuggery arm of the PMS since 2019.

It further claimed the same elements had been involved in the destruction of opposition campaign billboards, signboards and posters.

“The attack on the Accord campaign train happened in broad daylight, and some residents could identify the culprits.

However, we do not want to pre-empt the outcome of an objective and thorough investigation by the police and other security agencies,” the statement said.

The party called on the public to remain calm and vigilant, adding that attempts to revive political violence in the state would be resisted.