 Oshun APC and PDP trade blames as gunmen attack TNVU and Shatima presidential campaign office in Oshun state and gunmen attack train station in Edo states kidnap many passengers months after the Abuja Khadruna real attack. This is Plus Politics, I am Mary-Anne Compton. The chief of staff to the speaker of Oshun state House of Assembly, Obesh Chesson, was on Sunday reported the attack by some suspected hoodlums in the fofin area of Ilesha, also the TNVU Shatima campaign office in the state was attacked. But the press secretary to the speaker, Conley Al-Abi, who confirmed the attack said the perpetrators were hoodlums, allegedly working for the ruling people's democratic party. Reacting to the allegation, Oshun state PDP caretaker chairman Dr. Kindelaide Conley said those behind the attacks must have been hoodlums hired by the APC for the July 16 governorship polls that the party had refused to settle after the polls. While the former commissioner of works and transports Remy Omoye described the attack as diabolic and inhumane. Since inauguration of the new administration in Oshun state, there have been verbal exchanges between the APC and the PDP over state funds and allocation. Joining us to discuss this this evening, we have Dima Odeyemi, he is the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the People's Democratic Party and joining us also is Olufemi Lossan, he's a political analyst. Thank you so much gentlemen for joining us. Good evening. Thank you very much. I'm happy to be with you. Same to you. I'm going to start with you Mr. Odeyemi because you are a member of the People's Democratic Party and you obviously campaign for the government of the day. These allegations that are flying back and forth, one doesn't even know what to believe because of course these are issues of electoral violence whether we like it or not and the nation is gradually edging towards its general elections. If these issues are not nipped in the bard now, who's to say that he might not be heightened come February 2023. But let's start from the beginning. What exactly do you think as a member of the PDP and of course a citizen of the state is responsible for these all of a sudden violence that is erupting in the state? Thank you very much for this question. And I want to tell you that when we are talking about the denotion state, it is the creation of APC. We have some boys decreasing state boys right from the time of Governor Raouf Aregueshola. It is these state boys that were empowered to unleash terror on PDP members. If you asked for the main Rashidi Okolu or ask them who is, what is his name again, is the head of the transport workers union in Oshobu. If you ask them, they are right now in the net of the police. They are under arrest. It is these people that are fomenting trouble. And what happened really was that their membership, the people they recruited to foment trouble against PDP, they are now asking their leadership about their sponsor. What have they done about the incarceration of their leaders who are in detention right now? And they are not happy with the main recruiter that is Rene Omowaye. Who recruited them to constitute themselves as leaders in Oshobu state. So it is a violent between APC and APC. And in Oshobu state, APC is divided. We have the Aregueshola fashion, we have the Oshobu fashion and they are fighting among the state. It has done nothing to do with PDP. He who is God is fighting the war, does not need any battle again. So we are now, we are peace-loving people in Oshubu state and we are only appealing that APC should not set Oshubu state on fire. Thank God we have a governor who understands security very well. Of course, if you look at it very well, before they left office, they created a lot of crisis in Oshubu state. They installed many traditional rulers and that is why these old clubs started burning some of the palaces. And that was when the governor said, every traditional ruler, crowned master, winning the election, should refer to status quo. And that is why we have very little peace in Oshubu right now. We are peace-loving people. The crisis is between APC and APC. Nothing to do with PDP at all. We are in control. And we have assured the people of Oshubu state, we have called on security agencies to ensure that they are free in Oshubu state. So it has got nothing to do with PDP at all. It's within themselves and they know themselves. That should be Oshubu and the other guy, I have forgotten his name now. When I remember, I will let you know. So they are in the police net and it is their people that are now asking the leadership what they have done or what are they doing to ensure that they free them from the police. That is why they are fighting themselves. Nothing to do with PDP at all. I'm not curious. These allegations that you're making against Mr. Moi and of course the previous government, you're saying, you're talking about the fact that these governments created this monsters that you call state boys. You've also said that Mr. Moi somewhat is responsible for the mayhem because these boys were, in your words, paid by him. But how do you know this? Were you there when the monies were exchanging hands and how can you be speaking on such authority on national TV if you do not have the facts? We are politicians. We are politicians, you know, ourselves. And these boys, when they operate, they do mention their name. In fact, it is very unfortunate that the reporters or the press men in Oshubu state have not done a feature story on state boys. They are testing state boys. So investigate very well. We'll name all these top state boys. They were protected. They aren't them. We know them and they know themselves. So when we are talking of togri in Oshubu state, it is the creation of agency. And what is happening or what you have seen is the fight back among themselves. Nothing with PDP. I'm saying it authoritatively because I'm part of them. I know what is happening. And you can even investigate further with the security agencies in Oshubu. You can confirm that. Interesting. Let me come to you, Mr. Lawson. Just as a political analyst and also someone from Oshubu state who is also following the activities, what exactly can you tell us is responsible for the recent rise in violence, political violence within the state? Do you agree with Mr. Dayamy that this is a creation of the government of the day, including the ruling party APC? Mr. Lawson, I think that you're muted. Mr. Lawson, I think you're muted because we can't hear you. Okay. Are you in the room now? Yes, we can. Okay. I think it's very important that we spread the right information about learning. What issues are asked to do with the lives of citizens involved? It should limit the extent of politicking involved. I want to say that for at least 12 years, I have actively worked with a lot of people who are politically exposed in Oshubu state and in the civil society, including my very senior Oshubu, the one who is on the panel here. And I can say that what is currently in Oshubu state is a very terrible return to the dark ages. That for eight years, we worked together against a regime that institutionalized the agree before the advent of the media path administration of the government. What you are currently seeing in Oshubu state to be is a resurgence of violence that seems to be reenacted by the incumbent administration in Oshubu state. And I stand to say this without sounding the modest that the attempt to reduce the resurgence of violence in Oshubu state to the nation incident, the attack on the campaign office of the former commissioner for works is not fair enough because the resurgence of violence you know has gone beyond what has happened in Malaysia. From the very day that this administration was sown in November 27, 2022, there are bad cases of violence in part of Oshubu in Oshubu state in Malaysia and some other parts of the state. And what do you think necessitated less violence? What do you think this is? Is it the swearing in of the new governor that automatically necessitated this violence? And to what end, if you're saying that it's the government since they got in, there's been violence, why would I be starting off my government with violence? What kind of precedence would I be setting if I were the governor? There have been a lot of issues about the tendency that are promoting violence under this government. And unfortunately the government is not addressing it. The government is rather defending some actors who are involved in these cases of violence, rather than also condemning the violence that have been perpetrated against the people. Irrespective of who is involved, the state boys, the politicians or whoever, it is not the duty of Oshubu state government as parliament constituted today to begin to put blame on one faction of the political institution or the other. What is expected of the state is to name perpetrators of violence and there are so many indications and indicators to the fact that this government stands to be complicit even from within the structures of the government. Today, the governor of Oshubu state has constituted committees that have had on its state, people who have been inducted, at one point or the other, to have been involved in violence in Oshubu state. As I speak with you, the current security officer to the governor of Oshubu state was inducted by the properly constituted judicial convention of Ekwari to have been involved in violence. Immediately this government, this government won the election. There were reported cases of violence in its hometown and the involving members of its political party who had this big trouble sharing of post-election money. This claimed the life of siblings and people who are involved in that gruesome killing, who petitions have been raised against, are in government in Oshubu state today. And in Oshubu, there have been cases of fracas between transport unions going to, you know, partials emanating from the PDP collaging the old order and some other new factors. To now reduce this to a fiscal between the former administration that is the realist of the former administration of Oshubu state, and I'm not even a member of the EPICI and I'm not even claiming to reward. But the truth is that what is happening in Oshubu state today is clearly a product of some form of complicity on the part of the administration and silence on the part of the administration, and then a bit of the administration to make the perpetrators of violence. And that is why this seems to be on an increase for what was experienced. Immediately this administration was warning to the extent that it is getting to the frightening, you know, level of, you know, gunshots, destruction of properties, and threat to life. Unlike what online were fracas within garages and, of course, within Oshubu groups before November 20th. Okay, so here we are again, allegations and counter allegations. Interesting. But you talked about the fact that once this government was sworn in, there were strings of issues that cost violence one way or the other. Again, you said that a particular person in the government had been, you know, arraigned before a committee against, on the grounds of violence, I beg your pardon. I'm wondering, the violence that he was, I'm not in any way holding forth for them, but I'm just wondering, that issue obviously was before the dedicated government came into power. So you're telling me that if someone was already indicted by a committee, immediately the person comes or his boss comes into power, it means that he triggers more violence because I asked you this question earlier on. If I'm starting a new job, would I want to put my best foot forward or my worst act ever? And to what end, what will that earn me? So again, I ask you, why would the PDP want to foment violence if they're trying, end quote, to change the status quo in the state? Well, it seems so much that the administration is feeling insecure from a personal point of view. It's feeling insecure to the extent that it is not fair in dealing with perpetrators of violence. As I speak with you, just few hours ago, the governor of Oshun State constituted the Park Management Committee to run their affairs of transport, you know, parks and garages in the state. Among the lists that have been officially published by the state government where people were arrested for being involved in violence during the election, post-election in Oshun State, they are officially on the list of the Oshun State government to manage a structure of the government. And why I said the state feels insecure is because it seems to be patronizing perpetrators of violence to the extent that, as we speak today, the government of Oshun State under Gov. Ndeleke has not made at any time to date any categorical statement against perpetrators of violence in the state, including the attack on campaign offices in Malaysia a few days ago, including the latest attack on the serving official of the state. The ship will start to display out the state of Oshun State. There has been no categorical position taken by the government of Oshun State. And that tells you that the government is either complicit or encouraging what is being done by these perpetrators of violence, irrespective of where they're coming from. Be it members of ABC, PDP or whatever, the government always hits a duty to deal with perpetrators of violence, not by commissioning voices to defend who was involved or who was not involved. It is a duty of government to... And it is on record that for four years that the media pass and the social was in place, Oshun was known to one of the most peaceful in Nigeria. Why is Oshun returning to the part of violence in just less than two months? I'm going to come to you, Mr Odeyemi, because these are very serious allegations that have been hit against your government and your political party. Now, of course, we know that government had attacked the presidential campaign office. That's the ABC presidential campaign office in Oshun State. That's the Tinibu Shatima campaign office. It happened a few hours after the former governor, Adebo Yigat Uyitala, inspected the office in Elisha, and that's what he was making reference to. But then, he said that your government has not said anything about the situation that's happened officially. But I want to ask also a two-prong question. What is the Adebo Yigat government doing or has done, if there be any, to deal with these warring factions, whether they be state boys or perpetrators, state actors or whoever they are in the name of APC and PDP, what has the government done to, whether it be warring factions, call them to the table and ask what can be done? Or, how have they employed the powers of, or brought down the full weight of the law on these people? Because, again, destroying a public property is actually a crime against the state. If you are killing people and shooting, you know, sporadically, you can, you're also putting the lives of people at risk. It's the PDP definite about the messaging that they want to pass, even as we get ready for the elections, because whatever happens now, one way or the other, is a litmus test for what will happen during the election. So what is your government doing? Yeah, when you were introducing my brother, Mr. Fendi Lawson, you called him a political analyst. For this kind of a discussion, I would have loved to see somebody from APC, from Oshu State, who knows the fact, who has the fact and who has information about what is going on. While what Femi has said defies logic, how can the government, who comes into power on the campaign of repute in Oshu State, constitute or create violence on itself in defies logic? And that is why I said, I wonder when last he was in Oshu, to talk about what is happening in Oshu. He only rely on Rumor or perhaps what he read in the news. Now, I wanted to understand one thing. The way you are portraying it as if Tinnopu's campaign office was the short-term, was not as it is. People may call it Tinnopu's campaign office in Malaysia. Of course, we know campaign office of Oshu Aki Tinnopu, is in Oshubu. It is just the office of the person who recruited this talk and who they worked for. And that is Omowayi. So why are you now tidying it up? So again, no matter who's office it was, no matter who's office it was, doesn't make it right. I'm coming. I'm coming. Another thing is, I'm telling you that right now, we have a police constable in the prison, Ashley Enigra, who is the head and leader of tons of APC. I mentioned him there. And we have Praki Kiyoko, who is the head of tons sponsored by APC. So who are the PDT that you can call tons? Once we, before we got into office, we knew what we went through. And when they were about leaving office, we knew the banana tree they set for us. We knew the crimes they wanted, they created so that when we get to office, for the next six months, according to them, we're not able to govern well. But we can go. We engage the security services, the SSS, the police, the civil defense and everybody. And that is why we have relative care that we are enjoying in Oshun. So whatever it is happening, I'm not repeating it. It is within the APC capital. They are the ones fighting themselves. And even the government has given instruction to security agencies to ensure that they are in Oshun. What kind of statement do you have? Have you no right about what has happened? Praki Kiyoko is the spokesperson for the government. He has released almost four press statements to condemn this attack. What does he want us to do? And what are we talking about? Start to fucking it up. My brother who is talking here is not part of Oshun. It's not anything of Oshun. The last time we visited Oshun was last year. My question again, Mr. Dayemi, Mr. Dayemi, quickly before I go back to Losson. Quickly, I understand that press statements have been made. But I'm asking what definite steps have been taken to make sure that it's not just about sending out a message, but if that message is being sent out, there's also action to match it. So if people decide to continue to perpetrate acts of violence, they will be met with the full weight of the law. This is what I'm asking. The government had meetings with the head of the security services. Both the SSS and the police, it is their duty. You don't expect the government to now come to Malaysia to start making arrests. It is the duty of the police. And how are we going to encourage them? I don't want to mention, you know, the security operational method we have deployed. So it has done enough to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested. What else? So saying that the government has not issued a statement, the government has not done anything, will any government sit down and allow APT to start creating problems in the state? No, we don't want to allow that to happen. We have taken enough action and people and the police and the SSS are already working on it. Okay. Mr. Lawson, you wanted to say something. Go ahead. No, I can't wait. I've spent the last 12 years, you know, doing other works, you know, in and around the nation states, including works that I've worked on with, my mom, Mr. Gerard Nemi, for a good number of these, you know, 12 years. If we want to allude to the fact that I may not be permanently resident in Oshu state, just like him, who is also resident in the Bado and not in Oshu state, the truth is that I am very conversant with the day-to-day event in Oshu. I'm not interested about three hours ago today because I actively get myself involved because of family and business relationship that I have with the states. And the truth remains that the attempt to reduce what is happening to an internal, you know, rambling within the APC remains condemnable. A responsible government, you know, expecting of where perpetrators of violence are coming from, must take the call by its own and ensure that perpetrators of violence are not accommodated within its government and are also deathly. I insist that in other perpetrators of government, including names, on the list that have just been released by the state government as part management committee, I've been thinking to have been involved in violence in Oshu state over the last couple of weeks that this administration came about. And what we are talking about is not the idea of using test-based test-ments. It's about a government being decisive about coming, this very ugly resurgence of violence that was not aired in Oshu state over the last four years. The truth is that the last four years, everyone, and that is one of the factors that gave that to the election day one of the peaceful, most peaceful recorders so far in our recent history. But for women to justify violence on the basis of who the perpetrators are or not, stand condemnable, and it is not in the interest of the people of the state. And the government must forge itself, first and foremost, of non-perpetrators of violence that are currently serving in the government. They have names they are known, and government must be categorical and dealing with this. It's not about assigning the commission of police or director of SSS to deal with the issue. The government must take charge. It must demonstrate the willingness to deal with the perpetrators of violence. The fact that, as you already know, campaign organization offices in Oshubu and what was attacked in Malaysia was the private office. Is it not the private office of a citizen? Are there no innocent citizens around such private office? What if they have been strangled and the person that I was hit? So we should not reduce it to an attack on one person who was politically involved at some point or the other. We must condemn this and it's tax-condemned and we will not cease in asking that the government of Oshubu come out and condemn the resurgence of violence under the circumstances that it just stays on two months. Okay. Well, I think I want to believe that my God knows quickly Mr. Dayemi because we're out of time quickly. Quickly. Yeah, what I'm trying to say is if he knows that the number party is, when the government takes over, they always take over parts and garages with gun and helicopters by taking it itself. But he now shows that it does not happen. What we did was to organize them in such a way that there will not be violence or crisis. And he is now claiming that the name that has been mentioned as chairman and member of this committee, if he knows them to be criminal, you can write a petition, give it to the governor where already is an open administration, you can be part of it. Instead of blackmailing anybody that they are criminal, please report them to the police or to the SSS. Don't malign anybody on air. So they are all judgment people who are enough to handle these garages. That is why we have appointed them to be managers of these parts. So if you have any other information, you can pass it to the SSS, please. All right. Well, I want to say thank you, gentlemen. Duran Dayemi is the former deputy national publicity secretary of the People's Democratic Party and or Lufemi Lawson is a political analyst. Thank you so much, gentlemen. We're hoping that the story will change in no time. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you very much. All right. Well, thank you all for being on the show. We'll take a quick break. When we return, we'll take a look at the Edo State train attack and the government's reaction to the incident. Stay with us.