Tensions have heightened in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election following allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Dele Ayegbo, nephew of the party’s campaign Director-General, Wole Oke, was killed in a shooting.
The Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, disclosed in a statement on Thursday that Ayegbo was allegedly shot dead on Wednesday night near his residence in the Idofin area of Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area.
According to the party, suspected political thugs travelling in a vehicle carried out the attack.
“The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the killing of the party’s governorship campaign Director-General, Wole Oke’s nephew, Dele Ayegbo, in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Council Area of the state on Wednesday night,” the statement said.
The party alleged that Ayegbo was attacked at a road junction close to his home in the Idofin quarters. It further claimed that another APC member was shot during the incident and taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment, while Ayegbo died at the scene.
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Olabisi described the incident as unacceptable and called on security agencies to investigate the killing and bring those responsible to justice.
“The killing of the nephew of our campaign Director-General in Esa-Oke is one death too many which must be urgently unravelled by the police in the interest of fairness and justice,” he said.
The APC spokesperson also alleged that more than 30 party members had been killed by political thugs since 2022, with 17 of the reported deaths occurring in Ijesaland.
He further accused the state government of failing to adequately condemn previous attacks on APC members, a claim that has not been independently verified.
Olabisi urged the Osun State Police Command to act swiftly before voters head to the polls on Saturday, alleging that the latest attack was intended to intimidate APC supporters and discourage them from exercising their civic rights.
“The purpose is to scare away our members and supporters from exercising their civic responsibility on Saturday,” he said.
Efforts to obtain confirmation from the Osun State Police Command were unsuccessful at the time of publication, as the command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, had not responded to requests for comment.
The alleged killing comes amid heightened political tensions and accusations between rival parties and their supporters ahead of the governorship election.
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