After the attack that rocked the grand finale of the Labour Party’s presidential campaign rally in the state last week, a supporter of the party who has yet to be identified has had his hand amputated.
During a live appearance on Channels Television’s The 2023 Verdict on Tuesday, Akin Osuntokun, the Director General of the Obi/Datti Presidential Campaign Council, disclosed this information.
Osuntokun stated that voter suppression through violence remained a worrying factor, and that he did not have assurance that everything was in order for Saturday’s presidential election.
In addition, he stated that another troubling factor was the over-voting in the Osun State elections, which the tribunal used as a prerequisite to invalidate the People’s Democratic Party’s victory in the state despite the implementation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
Keep in mind that The PUNCH reported that the Lagos police confirmed that at least four people were injured in an attack on supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate.
Benjamin Hundeyin, the state Police Public Relations Officer, called the attack on Obi’s supporters “regrettable.” He said that the attack happened about 15 kilometers from where the rally was held and that the State Criminal Investigations Department would take over the investigation to catch the attackers and bring them to justice.
The Jakande Ward Chairman of the Labour Party raised the alarm following the attack in the Ilasan area of Eti-Osa Local Government.
However, the LP DG has stated that due to these factors, he will not score the election preparation 100%.
Osuntokun stated, “There are some factors that challenge that conclusion. I won’t score the preparation a 100 percent.” We have been victims of this tendency toward voter suppression through violence, particularly in Lagos.
When we held the rally in Lagos, our supporters were prevented from going to the Tafawa Balewa Square in certain areas, resulting in some of them being injured. “INEC people actually responded discriminatorily to people looking for their PVCs. One of them has had his hand amputated as we speak.
When all of these factors are taken into account, you cannot be sure that this will work well.
“And as I once noted, the introduction of the BVAS, or electronic transmission, to the system is supposed to prevent overvoting; however, the tribunal’s decision on the Osun State election, which was held a while ago, nullified the PDP’s victory due to overvoting. Now, where does that come in?” Osuntokun interrogated.