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Some members of the
Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) were attacked in Ilorin, the
Kwara State capital yesterday by hoodlums suspected to be members of
the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The ACPN is the
party of the acclaimed godfather of Kwara politics, Olusola Saraki. His
daughter, Gbemi Saraki is the party’s governorship candidate in the
state. She is running against the candidate of the PDP supported by her
brother and current governor of the state, Bukola Saraki.

Narrating the
ordeal of members of the ACPN, the Organising Secretary of the party in
Kwara State, Suleimon Jabata said close to 30 members of the party are
presently hospitalised for various degrees of injuries in various
hospitals in Ilorin.

He alleged that
the PDP in Kwara wanted to give the visiting president the impression
that opposition does not exist in the state hence, they went into the
street to destroy the billboard of all opposition parties erected in
the metropolis, while posters of opposition members were destroyed and
replaced with that of PDP members.

Dayo Thomas, the
spokesperson for Mrs Saraki, said it was a shocker when his team saw
the party’s billboards being pulled down by PDP members. He said
violence has become the trademark of PDP.

Shun violence

Mr Thomas, who said
the ACPN intends to defend its members within the confinement of the
law, said the party will not indulge in violence. “If a repeat occurs,
we will go to court, we are law abiding citizens,” he said.

The billboards of
Mrs Saraki were vandalised at various locations in the metropolis,
including Ode Afonja, Pakanta, Ita Ogunbo, Baaboko, Geri Alimi, Garage
Offa and Ita Ahmadu.

Calling on the
Federal Government to curtail the rising cases of violence in Kwara, Mr
Jabata warned that the state should not be allowed to degenerate into
the old order of campaign of calumny and bloodletting .