Some armed security men have reportedly recovered three official vehicles said to be in the custody of the head of market women in Osun State, Chief Awawu Asindemade.
The vehicles recovered from Asindemade were said to include; a coaster bus, and two others attached to her office as the Iyaloja-General of Osun State.
The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, in a statement signed by its acting chairman, Mr Tajudeen Lawal, obtained in Osogbo on Sunday, said the vehicles were forcefully taken away from Asindemade’s residence in Osogbo last Friday by a team of government officials accompanied by some armed police operatives.
Reacting further to the development, Lawal, said the State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, ordered that official vehicles in Asindemade’s custody be recovered, as well as those with other Iyaloja at the 30 local government areas because they attended the recently held APC presidential campaign in Osogbo.
Lawal further said in the process of recovering vehicles in Asindemade’s custody, her daughter was harassed by the recovery team, who he alleged seized her mobile phone under the allegation that she was recording their activities.
The statement further read in parts, “the three official vehicles attached to the Office of the Iyaloja-General of Osun State, Alhaja Asindemade, were forcefully taken away from her Kolabalogun residence area of Osogbo on Friday with a team of government officials numbering fifteen comprising fully-armed police officers, thugs and state government officials.
“Has it become an offence for the market women leaders to associate freely with their chosen candidate under a democratic setting?
Withdrawal of vehicles from the women would not, in any way, affect the electoral success of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential election as it’s God-ordained.”
But reacting to the allegations, Osun PDP acting chairman, Dr Adekunle Akindele, in another statement, absolved his party of any blame, declaring that neither the State Governor nor its officials were also involved in the alleged invasion of Asindemade’s residence.
The PDP accused the opposition of raising a false alarm and issuing unfounded attacks on the state government, accusing the APC of seeking sympathy for its presidential candidate.
“Worried by the increasing unpopularity of its presidential candidate and the soaring acceptability of Atiku Abubakar, the APC is holding onto straws, pushing to tag union power tussle as an action from the state government.
“This is a failed endeavour as even the APC admitted that those involved in the alleged attacks were thugs among others.
“We have been reading of infighting within the market association for some time now and how any responsible party will link that to a state government is still a puzzle.
“Neither the PDP nor its Governor is a party to disagreement within non-governmental organisations. APC should know and more clearly too that lies and falsehood can’t save the party from defeat on February 25,” Akindele concluded.
