PDP: APC’s “Tissue of Lies” Can’t Hide Ososa Roadblock

PDP, APC trade accusations after Ososa incident

A political roadblock has now become a battle of competing narratives in Ogun State, with the Peoples Democratic Party accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress of deploying thugs to obstruct its governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, while the APC has called for an investigation into alleged shooting involving security personnel attached to the PDP candidate.

The latest development came on Thursday after the Ogun PDP issued a strongly worded response to an earlier APC statement on the incident.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the APC had called on Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, to investigate what it described as alleged sporadic shooting by security personnel attached to Adebutu during a passage through Ososa, the hometown of APC deputy governorship candidate Kudirat Abiodun Adegunwa-Balogun.

The APC said the incident caused residents and others in the area to seek safety.

The PDP has now presented a different account, alleging that Adebutu’s convoy was deliberately obstructed on its way to Odogbolu and that the security personnel attached to the candidate acted to clear the road.

PDP says APC “sponsored” the blockade

In its statement dated September 17, signed by State Publicity Secretary Arc. Otunba Kayode Adebayo, the PDP rejected the APC’s account and said Adebutu was on a legitimate campaign movement.

The party first explained why it was responding to the APC statement:

“The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has been drawn to a hastily cobbled, error-ridden press statement signed by one Comrade Olufemi Nuberu purporting to speak for the All Progressives Congress on an alleged shooting incident in Ososa. “Ordinarily, we would have ignored the statement as another comic relief from a party that has lost touch with reality, but for the need to set the records straight and expose the mischief that has become the trademark of the APC in Ogun State.”

The PDP then gave its account of what happened at Ososa, alleging that Adebutu’s convoy was deliberately stopped by individuals it described as thugs mobilised by political agents:

“The facts of the matter are clear and known to all well meaning indigenes of Ijebuland. Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu was on his legitimate and constitutionally guaranteed campaign movement to Odogbolu for the flag-off of our campaign activities. On getting to Ososa, a public highway that belongs to no individual or family, his convoy was deliberately and criminally obstructed by thugs mobilized and positioned by agents of the ruling party to prevent him from accessing his campaign ground. Their intention was to cause chaos, provoke our candidate and stop the flag-off.”

The allegation that APC agents mobilised the individuals who allegedly blocked the convoy remains a claim by the PDP and has not been independently established.

PDP defends security personnel over reported shots

The APC had questioned why security personnel attached to a governorship candidate would allegedly discharge firearms in a populated area and called for those responsible to be held accountable.

In response, the PDP said the security personnel acted within their responsibilities while trying to restore movement along the road:

“The security personnel attached to Hon. Adebutu, who are professionally trained and statutorily empowered to protect lives and ensure unhindered movement of their principal, acted within the strict rules of engagement to clear an illegal roadblock and disperse hired hoodlums who were threatening public peace. If warning shots were fired into the air to restore order and allow free passage, that is not reckless discharge, it is lawful crowd control in the face of sponsored hooliganism.”

The statement presents the firing of shots as a security response, but whether any shots were fired, who fired them, and whether such action complied with the applicable rules of engagement are matters that require factual investigation.

“Why is APC obsessed with Ososa?”

The PDP also questioned the political significance of Ososa, pointing to the fact that it is the hometown of the APC’s deputy governorship candidate.

The party said: “It is therefore laughable that the APC that sponsored the blockade will turn around to claim it is disturbed by apprehension among the populace. Who created the apprehension in the first place? Who sent thugs to disturb the free movement of a governorship candidate going to Odogbolu? Why is the APC so obsessed with the hometown of its deputy governorship candidate to the extent of turning Ososa into a private estate where opposition figures must take permission before passing?”

Again, the claims that the APC sponsored a blockade or that the area was being treated as a political “private estate” are allegations made by the PDP, not established facts.

PDP calls for wider police investigation

Rather than asking the police to investigate only the reported shooting, the PDP said the inquiry should establish what happened before the reported shots were fired.

The party stated:

“The PDP in Ogun State believes in peace and has always conducted its activities within the bounds of the law. Our appeal to the police is different. We call on the Nigeria Police Force to conduct a thorough investigation into the entire Ososa incident, but that investigation must not stop at who fired a shot into the air. It must unravel who mobilized thugs to block a public road, who authorized them to prevent Hon. Ladi Adebutu from getting to Odogbolu, and who is desperately trying to criminalize self-defence in the face of political thuggery.”

This call is significant because the two parties are now asking investigators to examine different parts of the same incident.

The APC has focused on the alleged discharge of firearms and public safety, while the PDP wants investigators to establish whether there was an illegal blockade and who organised it.

PDP says Adebutu reached Odogbolu

The party also said the incident did not prevent Adebutu from reaching his destination or holding his campaign event.It stated:

“The APC should be advised that Ogun State belongs to all of us. No amount of roadblocks in Ososa, no amount of sponsored press statements and no amount of desperation will stop the moving train of the PDP. Despite their antics, Hon. Adebutu arrived Odogbolu, flagged off his campaign and was received by a mammoth crowd that has since sent jitters into the camp of the ruling party. That is the real reason for this midnight press release.”

The reference to a “mammoth crowd” and the claim that the event caused “jitters” in the APC camp are political characterisations by the PDP.

ValidViewNetwork had earlier reported that Adebutu formally flagged off the PDP’s 2027 Ogun governorship campaign in Abeokuta on September 9, where he unveiled the ITURA DE agenda covering security, local government autonomy, workers’ welfare, infrastructure, agriculture, economic development, education and healthcare.

PDP urges supporters not to retaliate

The party ended its statement with an appeal to its supporters to avoid violence and remain focused on its campaign.It said:

“We urge our supporters to remain calm, law abiding and focused. We will not be provoked into violence. We will continue to campaign on issues that affect the lives of our people, which is more than can be said of a party whose only campaign strategy is to block roads and issue press statements.”

The statement was signed by Arc. Otunba Kayode Adebayo, State Publicity Secretary, PDP, Ogun State.

The bigger issue is now the rule of law

The Ososa incident should not become another political contest in which each party simply produces its own version of events and treats it as established fact.

There are several questions that only an impartial investigation can properly answer: Was Adebutu’s convoy actually blocked? Who organised the people allegedly involved? Were firearms discharged? Who discharged them? Were the shots warning shots? What threat existed at the time?

And did the actions of any security personnel comply with the law and their rules of engagement?

Those questions matter more than the increasingly heated language from both political camps.

A public highway cannot become the property of a political party, just as a political convoy cannot acquire immunity from lawful security procedures simply because its occupants are candidates.

The Constitution protects freedom of movement, association and political participation, but those freedoms exist within the framework of law.

Equally, the responsibility to maintain public order does not give anyone a licence for political intimidation, arbitrary roadblocks or unlawful use of firearms.

The answer to Ososa therefore cannot be another confrontation.It must be an impartial investigation, accountability where wrongdoing is established, and respect for the rule of law by all sides.

In a democracy preparing for another election, political disagreement must end at the ballot box, not on the road.

No party should be above the law, and no political grievance should become an excuse for self-help, ValidViewNetwork reports.