For the second day running, violence has broken out in parts of Osun State, South-West Nigeria, with clashes between fanatical members of the two main parties in the state in the aftermath of last Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Latest reports from the state have it that pandemonium broke out this afternoon at Iponda, a town in Obokun Local Government Area, when some Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) faithful allegedly attacked supporters of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the area. The APC members were said to have been attacked when they were celebrating the victory of the candidate of the party in the August 9 governorship election in the state, Governor Rauf Aregbesola. PDP’s candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, lost to incumbent Governor Rauf Aregbesola of APC by 292,747 votes to 394,684. Omisore and his party have continued to allege that the ballot was rigged even though the election has been widely acclaimed to be credible.

Today in Iponda, several people received deep machete cuts and they were taken for medical care to hospitals and are currently receiving treatment. One of the victims, Deji Akanmu, from Iponda, ward 4 who was stabbed in the head was identified as APC member.

An Assistant Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy in the office of the governor, Mr. Bosun Oyintiloye, while reaction to the development, condemned the attack and described it as barbaric.

Oyintiloye said the matter was reported to the police division in Ibokun. The Divisional Police Officer in the area promised that the perpetrators would be arrested and prosecuted.

Aregbesola’s media aide pointed accusing finger on a chieftain of the PDP, Chief Francis Adenigba Fadahunsi, as the sponsor of the attack and identified one Ope Adepoju as the leader of the thugs that attacked APC members in the area.

Oyintiloye expressed worry that the thugs who inflicted machete cuts on APC members are yet to be apprehended and called on police to ensure protection of lives and property of the people of the state.

Reacting to the accusation, PDP director of Media and Strategy, Prince Diran Odeyemi, said it was the APC members that unleashed terror on PDP supporters. Odeyemi called on Governor Aregbesola to curb the excesses of APC members.

Odeyemi said: “We are surprised that despite that APC won the election, its members have continued harassing, maiming and humiliating supporters of our party in all parts of the state and this development is provoking. We call on Governor Aregbesola to stop them before this gets out of hand. So, they are the ones attacking us and they are the ones crying.”

In a similar incident, pandemonium had broken out in Ile-Ife yesterday as PDP and APC supporters clashed in the town.

The exact number of individuals who sustained injuries could not be ascertained, but it was learnt that the victims of the attack were taking to three different hospitals in the town.

APC in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, alleged that the PDP went on rampage against supporters of APC, who were celebrating Aregbesola’s victory, but PDP claimed that the opposite was the case.

•Largely based on reports in Daily Trust and Daily Sun. Photo shows Aregbesola and Omisore.

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