From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has called for the immediate transfer of Osun State Commissioner of Police, Kehinde Longe, for his inability to tackle insecurity in the state.
The party also accused the CP of protecting the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been launching several attacks on its members since the election petition tribunal sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The acting chairman of the APC, Sooko Tajudeen Lawal, who spoke through the Director of Media of APC in the state, during a press conference held at Tinubu/Shettima campaign office, Osogbo, said the CP and the PDP should be held responsible for any break-down of law and order in the coming general elections.
APC alleged that its treasurer in ward 9, Ikire, Irewole Local Government Council Area of the state, Saheed Oyegunju, was abducted by suspected PDP thugs on February 2nd, 2023 while riding his commercial motorcycle until his corpse was found in the outskirts of Ikire recently, abusing PDP chairman of saying that the deceased was a cultist.
“The main source of our concern about the pitiable security situation of our state since the inauguration of the sacked Governor Adeleke’s administration is that the police which is the statutory security agency in the state has not been doing enough to dispassionately maintain peace and order.
“It was observed that the police are always looking away when our members are being attacked by the PDP thugs in Osogbo, Ede, Ilesa, Ijebu-Jesa, Ila-Orangun, Ikire, Iwo, Ikirun, Okuku, Ifetedo, etc which make us suspect and conclude that the police has not been maintaining neutrality in the discharge of their official responsibility. They favour the PDP.
“The funniest aspect of the unsavoury development is that the political hoodlums who were arrested and brought down to the police command in Osogbo from Ifetedo a few days ago were not even allowed to alight from the vehicle that brought them before they were surprisingly left off the hook based on the directive from the top.
“It is based on the totality of the insensitive attitude of the leadership of the Nigeria Police to the plight of members of our party that we are making a clarion call for the transfer of the state commissioner of police, Mr. Patrick Kehinde Longe, from our state.
“We are calling on the Inspector-General of Police to intervene in our plight by urgently effecting the transfer of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Longe, as his best is found out not to be in the best interest of any genuine democratic setting,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the CP, the command spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, said the police are not in any way biased.
She said, “we are not trained to protect one life against the other. We are trained to protect lives and properties regardless of political affiliation. We are not politicians. We have been taking action on every report made to us.”
The caretaker chairman of the PDP, Dr. Akindele Adekunle, said the APC is found of committing crimes and blames other people for it, saying that the police are doing their job objectively.
