The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Chapter, strongly condemns the malicious and shameful act perpetrated by security agencies against our dear State Chairman, Rotr. Hon. Abayomi Tella, during the just concluded Remo North Federal Constituency by-election.
It is a national embarrassment that the ruling party in our dear state has once again reduced electoral contests to a do-or-die affair, deploying crude tactics and intimidation against the opposition, instead of focusing on fair competition and the will of the electorate. It is most unfortunate that they went as far as framing and arresting our State Party Chairman Chief Abayomi Tella in his hotel room in the middle of the night merely because he was carrying out his constitutional duty of supervising the election for his party.
We must emphasize: Hon. Abayomi Tella was not apprehended at a polling unit disrupting the process, nor was he found flouting any electoral law. Instead, he was targeted for harassment simply for being a respected voice of the opposition. This is a man of proven integrity, who has served our people selflessly once as Caretaker Chairman and twice as Executive Chairman of Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government. His records of service and reputation remain intact, making this crude attempt to malign him all the more disgraceful.
The PDP Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Chapter therefore demands a public apology from the Commissioner of Police and the Governor of Ogun State, as this shameful episode has dragged the name of our dear state into disrepute.
In a democracy, opposition parties are not enemies of the state; they are partners in nation-building. A government that is truly performing has nothing to fear from the opposition. If the ruling party believes it has served the people well, it should allow the opposition to breathe, to speak, and to contest freely. Suppressing the voice of the opposition only exposes weakness, insecurity, and failure of governance.
Democracy thrives on choices, and when the people are satisfied with the government of the day, they naturally return it to power at the ballot box. It is when a government has lost touch with its people that it resorts to intimidation, harassment, and manipulation of the process. What happened in our state is not only condemnable but also unnecessary. In neighboring states, similar elections were conducted peacefully, with no harassment of opposition figures, because the ruling parties there trusted in their performance and the love of the people. Why is our case different?
We understand the desperation of the present governor, who still struggles to wash away the disgrace of his rejection in his own local government and senatorial district during the last general elections. However, his attempt to save face should not come at the detriment of the lives and freedoms of the very citizens he swore to protect and secure.
The PDP Ado-Odo/Ota Chapter calls on well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organizations, and the international community to take note of this shameful act and hold the ruling party accountable for continually undermining democratic principles in our state.
Democracy can only grow when both the ruling party and the opposition are allowed to operate freely, with the people serving as the final judge at the polls. The ruling party must therefore desist from this path of desperation and intimidation, and instead focus on governance and service delivery.
