BY GBENGA OLARINOYE

OSOGBO — AHEAD of the August 9, governorship election in Osun State, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the main opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, alongside its gubernatorial candidate, Senator Iyiola Omisore, yesterday traded words over alleged plot to import thugs to disrupt a peaceful conduct of the election.

While APC claimed the PDP and Omisore had perfected plans to bring thugs to disrupt the peace in the state through violent protest in major towns in the state,  Omisore alleged that APC was noted for violence and had only revealed what it planned to do in Osun before the election.

Speaking through its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, APC said “these senseless and unwarranted protests are intended to manipulate the populace, the electorate and the electoral system in their favour. Plans are said to have been concluded by both Omisore and the PDP to create a virtual state of confusion before August 9 believing that if the plan works, it would facilitate an easier manipulation of the electoral process and their rigging exercise.”

But Omisore in his reaction, through the Director of Communications and Strategy of his campaign organisation, Mr. Diran Odeyemi, said “the APC is fond of allegation and by now we expect them to have moved from allegations to issues. They should explain what they plan to do for the people and why the party needs a second term.”

He alleged that the allegations often raised by the APC showed that the party lacked focus and had accepted defeat even before the election.