PDP chieftain attacked at Osun polling unit

Fatai Diekola, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Osun state, was attacked in Osogbo, the state capital, on Monday.

Diekola was said to have gone to canvass for votes at a polling unit where rerun is scheduled to hold on Thursday, when he was lynched by “thugs” suspected to be working for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) rescued the victim from his attackers.

Edafe Oghenebrume, a resident of the area, said one of the cars brought by the PDP chieftain who decamped from APC to the party, was seriously damaged.

In a telephone conversation with TheCable, Daniel Adigun, acting NSCDC spokesman in the state, said the officials of the special weapon and tactics unit who were on patrol at that time rescued Diekola and those who followed him to the unit.

Adigun said they were taken to a police clinic in the state capital.

“Some unknown assailants suspected to be political thugs attacked him today around 10am in the morning,” he said.

“It happened along Alekunwodo road. He was with thee of his men when he was attacked. He and two of his men were seriously wounded. Our men who were on patrol who were on patrol that time were able to rescue him and the men and they took them to the nearby hospital for medical treatment. They took him to the police clinic to take care of him, not to the police station for arrest.

“It was a kind of mob action and so in the attempt to arrest the thugs, it could have led to chaos. So, we rescued the victims first. We are doing investigation on whom the people are. That place is a busy area, so we don’t want to arrest people who have no connection with the action. Right now, investigation is still ongoing.”

Although the election was to a large extent devoid of violence on Saturday, tempers rose during coalition of votes, with the PDP alleging that INEC was plotting to manipulate the process for APC, an allegation the ruling party denied.