Ahead of the local government elections in Ogun State, Labour Party candidates vying for chairmanship and councilorship positions in the election have suffered a series of brutal attacks from people suspected to be politically hired by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) political thugs.

Speaking against the backdrop of a series of attacks on the opposition party in different locations in the state capital, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Tokunbo Peters, revealed that the first of such attacks occurred on Tuesday, November 12, at Ewekoro Local Government Area, where suspected APC thugs, brandishing cudgels and other dangerous weapons, brutally attacked the Labour Party chairmanship candidate of Ewekoro Local Government Area, Honourable Alani Elijah Juwon, and his wife in front of his wife’s shop at Ewekoro. They were rescued from the assailants by the timely intervention of neighbours and passersby, and he later lodged a formal complaint about the incident at Itori Police Station.

However, another incident occurred when the Labour Party chairman for Abeokuta South Local Government Area, Honourable Kenny Owolabi, was also attacked around First Bank, Sapon area of Abeokuta, and was shot in the leg.

He is still receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

It was gathered that Owolabi had earlier been threatened to withdraw from the electoral contest.

Peters added that at Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, suspected APC assailants invaded the residence of the Labour Party chairmanship candidate, Honourable Olufemi Thomas, in the wee hours of Thursday, November 14.

He added, “They tried breaking into his apartment, thinking he was at home. But the Labour Party candidate, who had been receiving threats since the commencement of his campaign, had relocated himself and his family to a secret location. When the assailants discovered that the apartment was empty, they left with a warning that he should withdraw from the race.”

He noted that Labour Party chairmanship and councilorship candidates in Ogun East have also suffered similar harassment and intimidation, stressing that in Ijebu Ode, Odogbolu, and Sagamu local government areas, the banners and posters of Labour Party candidates are being torn by suspected APC thugs, while the candidates are being threatened to withdraw from the political contest. The chairmanship and councilorship candidates in Ijebu Ode and Sagamu local government areas have had to cancel their campaign rallies thrice due to security concerns.

He stressed that the leadership of the Labour Party in Ogun state recalls that Ogun state Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun had earlier declared that the opposition was not on the ground in Ogun state and boasted that the APC was going to sweep all the polls in Ogun state.

He said, “Labour Party, therefore, views this wave of attacks on its candidates as an attempt by the ruling APC government to silence the Labour Party, which is the main opposition in the state, into submission and possibly withdrawal from the election. But the Labour Party will not be cowed or deterred by these despicable attacks and anti-democratic tendencies of the ruling party.”

The State Publicity Secretary of the party disclosed that the Labour Party in the state is totally at a loss as to why the ruling APC government is scared of a level playing field.

He said, “Election is not a do-or-die affair. If a party or candidate is unpopular, it will be rejected by the electorate at the polls. The ruling APC government has failed woefully in Ogun state. They have nothing to showcase as their achievements, hence their resort to intimidation and violence.”

The leadership of the party in the state called on the Police, DSS, and all other security agencies in the state to provide tight security at the polling units and collation centres for Saturday’s election. They should protect all Labour Party candidates, polling unit agents, collation agents, and the electorate from harassment and intimidation before, during, and after the election.

They further urged the good people of Ogun state to defy the anti-democratic antics of the ruling APC government and come out en masse to cast their votes in order to effect the badly needed change and rescue the state from the shackles of the incompetent APC government.

The Labour Party also informed its teeming supporters and the general public that the party’s electioneering campaign for Saturday’s local government election would cease by 12 midnight today, Thursday, November 14, 2024.

According to him, the party would not be held responsible for any campaign jingle aired on the radio or television and any campaign advertorial published in newspapers, blogs, or social media platforms beyond midnight today, Thursday, November 14, 2024.

He called on the state electoral umpire, OGSIEC, and all concerned authorities to be aware of this development.