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The Labour Party has cried out over alleged attempts on the life of its candidate in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, Yusuff Lasun.
The Labour Party alleged that thugs dressed in police uniforms, in a commando style, attempted to snuff the life out of its party’s gubernatorial candidate in the wee hours of Monday, the 11th day of July 2022.
Tey claimed shots were fired sporadically at his residence in Ilobu, Osun State but were repelled by dutiful policemen and other security personnel attached to him.
It was gathered that Lasun had fled his house as no one was killed in the attack.
In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Monday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, maintained that there was a belief “by the public opinion that the attack was motivated by the brilliant and very incisively thrilling performance of Yusuf Lasun of the LP Osun State at the Channel’s TV governorship debate.
According to Arabambi, Lasun had “out-performed and clearly exposed the lack of requisite capacity and knowledge of the Governor of the State, Gboyega Oyetola, who is also the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”
Arabambi reported that over 100 fully armed thugs dressed in police uniforms attacked Lasun’s house overnight.
“It is strongly believed that the intention is to assassinate the candidate,” he stressed.
He said the assailants kept shooting at midnight for over one hour but were rebuffed by the timely intervention of the police personnel, other security agents and people of the community.
“It is a shame that in 2022, the APC had once again brought back the forgotten era of harassment and intimidation of the opposition, still it is better understood by the APC that in today’s Nigeria, the people will stoutly resist any and all kinds of political intimidation and harassment of the opposition political parties.
“It must be loudly said and must be clearly noted by all Nigerians that the APC government deliberately and consciously tried through the illegal use of the armed thugs dressed in police uniform to incapacitate our candidate in the pursuit of an electoral campaign, thinking by that, he could be cowed and thus be rendered unable to participate fully and effectively in the election to pave the way for the APC candidate,” Arabambi lamented.
He added that the Labour Party, with the candidacy of Yusuf Lasun, has decided to save Osun State, saying “no going back.”
“It is very sad and disheartening to find that the only option left for APC is to resort to intimidation.
“The APC truly feels out-matched in the political space of Osun State and the massive support received by the LP and its governorship candidate, Rt Hon Yusuf Lasun, made it lose focus. But it is not enough to employ crude and barbaric means to illegal reaction.
“LP honestly and sincerely hope that Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate and a cousin to Oyetola, will not be falsely inspired to walk the path of intimidation, using government power towards the 2023 presidential election. We say this because it is the brilliant and glorious political performance of Hon Yusuf Lasun in Osun State that has kept the LP growing; coupled with the electoral value that Peter Obi, the active presidential candidate of the LP is duplicating on a very much larger scale at the national level.
“For the avoidance of any and all kinds of doubts, all forms of brigandage and unlawful forms of crude politics will be resisted strongly through all usable lawful means in all States and at the national level.
“Labour Party will use all lawful ways and means to post a win roundly seen as expected by the barometer of public opinion in the 2023 Osun State election with a very massive margin and we urge the Inspector General of police to immediately launch a manhunt for these criminal elements and should also beam his searchlight on all the APC campaign council members, including the Governor, for possible arm stockpiling.
“Saturday is around the corner when the governorship election will be held. LP enjoins and urges all the patriotic Nigerians to closely watch the political space of Osun State and see how things evolve. It is our duty to collectively reject the crude and ancient politics of harassment and intimidation in this country.”
Meanwhile, Yemisi Opalola, the Osun State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the attack on Lasun’s residence, saying “It is true. But we thank God nobody was injured.”
