The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has alleged the killing of Dele Ayegbo, nephew of its governorship campaign Director-General, Wole Oke, in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area.
The party said Ayegbo was shot dead at a road junction close to his residence in the Idofin area of the town on Wednesday night, two days before Saturday’s governorship election.
Kola Olabisi, Osun APC spokesperson, made the allegation in a statement on Thursday, claiming that suspected political hoodlums riding in a car 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 by the hit squad of the Accord Party who have been terrorising the members and supporters of the opposition APC across the state,” the statement reads.
“Information has it that Ayegbo was gunned down at the road junction close to his house at the Idofin quarters area of the ancient town by the Accord Party hoodlums who were riding in a car.”
Olabisi alleged that two APC members were shot during the incident, with Ayegbo dying at the scene. He said the second victim was taken to an undisclosed hospital in the town for treatment.
He described Ayegbo’s “killing” as “one death, too many” and urged the police to investigate the incident.
“The killing of the nephew of our campaign Director-general in Esa-Oke is one death too many, which must be urgently unraveled by the police in the interest of fairness and justice,” he said.
The APC spokesperson further alleged that more than 30 members of the party had been killed by political thugs in Osun since 2022, with Ijesaland accounting for 17 of the deaths.
“A common observation has been that whenever our members were killed, the self-acclaimed chief security officer of the state would not condemn the killing which gives credence to his approval of the rampant extra-judicial killings of our members and supporters in the state,” Olabisi claimed.
He said the alleged attacks were aimed at frightening APC supporters and preventing them from voting in Saturday’s election.
“The purpose is to scare away our members and supporters from exercising their civic responsibility on Saturday,” he said.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official confirmation of Ayegbo’s alleged killing from the Osun State Police Command. Abiodun Ojelabi, spokesperson for the command, had not responded to requests for comment.
The allegation comes against the backdrop of heightened political tension in Osun ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, in which incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party is seeking a second term.
The state has witnessed a series of allegations and counter-allegations of political violence between the APC and Accord in the run-up to the poll.
In June, Accord accused APC-linked thugs of attacks and killings targeting its members and called for the removal of Ibrahim Gotan, then the Osun Commissioner of Police, over alleged failure to curb the violence. The party alleged that several of its members and supporters had been killed or injured.
The APC has similarly accused supporters of the ruling Accord Party of attacking its members.
A June 24 report on a previous killing in Esa-Oke showed how deeply the political dispute had escalated.
The state government said an Accord youth leader, Ajayi Aderogba, had been killed in the town and accused APC-linked individuals of involvement. The APC rejected allegations linking its members to the killing.
The violence has also prompted calls for restraint from electoral stakeholders. In July, political parties in the state signed a peace accord pledging to support a peaceful, free and credible election. The initiative was facilitated by the Osun Development Association, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society groups also participating.
INEC’s Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, had warned political actors against violence, stressing that the responsibility for a peaceful election rested on all stakeholders.
With the election scheduled for Saturday, the latest allegation has further raised concerns about the safety of voters, candidates and party supporters as Osun prepares to decide who will govern the state for the next four years.
The police are yet to publicly establish the circumstances surrounding Ayegbo’s alleged killing or identify those responsible.
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