Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has accused President Bola Tinubu of complicity in the violent clashes that swept through local government council secretariats in Osun State on Monday......CONTINUE READING THE ARTICLE FROM THE SOURCE>>>>>
No fewer than six persons, including a former local government chairman were reportedly shot dead during the violent clashes.
The clashes were triggered by apparent misreading of the judgement of the Court of Appeal on a case involving sacked chairmen and councillors of the state’s 30 local government councils.
Reacting to the development, Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, said Tinubu and the APC have left nobody in doubt that they will stop at nothing to subvert democracy and impose themselves against the will of the people.
“Nigerians bore witness to a chilling display of lawlessness yesterday, as the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) exposed the depths of its desperation to retain power at all costs — through sheer political brigandage and the subversion of democracy.
“In Osun State, the APC orchestrated a full-scale assault on the democratic process, attempting to hijack the local government elections through brute force. Armed thugs and mercenaries, operating under the party’s protection, launched an audacious bid to seize control of all 30 local government area council secretariats. And yet, the so-called national leadership of the APC and the presidency watched in complicit silence.
“President Bola A. Tinubu, @officialABAT, and his dwindling band of enablers must cease their reckless acts of political sabotage — not just in Osun or Lagos, but across Nigeria. The people demand governance, not chaos. Nigerians will not sit idly while their democracy is hijacked by a power-drunk regime intent on setting the country on fire.
“Had it not been for the fearless resistance of Osun people — who stood their ground against the APC’s rampaging foot soldiers — democracy in the state would have been trampled under the boots of political marauders acting at the behest of their party’s overlords,” Atiku said.
The former Vice President urged the people of Osun to remain vigilant ahead of the local government election coming up in the state on Saturday, saying, “The time-honoured warning remains true: eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
Stating that Osun State will never bow to anti-democratic forces, he said the people have shown beyond doubt that they will not allow their electoral rights to be stolen, no matter the level of intimidation.
Warning that the world is watching, Atiku called on the security agencies deployed for Saturday’s council elections to uphold their constitutional duty with professionalism, and refuse to be used as “enforcers of APC’s criminal agenda.”
“These are dangerous times. The APC has abandoned any pretence of democratic legitimacy, resorting instead to brute force in its bid to cling to power — even as the people have overwhelmingly rejected it.
“We commend the brave citizens of Osun for standing up to the tyranny that sought to break them. Their resilience is a beacon of hope in the face of unrelenting oppression,” Atiku stated.