- The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State has raised alarm over the fatal shooting of Dele Ayegbo, nephew to the party’s campaign Director-General, Representative Wole Oke, in Esa-Oke.
- According to party officials, Ayegbo was gunned down on Wednesday night near his residence by suspected political thugs riding in a vehicle, while another party member sustained severe gunshot injuries.
- The Osun APC has demanded an immediate police investigation into the murder, claiming that politically motivated violence in the state has claimed the lives of more than thirty party members since 2022.
The All Progressives Congress in Osun State has formally condemned the violent killing of Dele Ayegbo, the nephew of the party’s governorship campaign Director-General, Representative Wole Oke, in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the fatal attack occurred on Wednesday night, barely seventy-two hours before the scheduled August 15 Osun State governorship election.
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In an official press statement issued on Thursday, Osun APC State Publicity Secretary, Kola Olabisi, revealed that the victim was ambushed and gunned down at a road junction close to his residence in the Idofin quarters of Esa-Oke.
According to the party’s account, the assailants operated from a moving vehicle and opened fire on Ayegbo and another party member who was in his company.
While Ayegbo died instantly at the scene from gunshot wounds, the second victim survived with severe injuries and was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for urgent medical attention.
The Osun APC spokesperson described the killing as an unprovoked act of political aggression designed to intimidate opposition members and destabilize the electoral environment ahead of Saturday’s vote.
Olabisi alleged that the hit squad responsible for the attack was affiliated with political opponents seeking to create widespread panic among voters across Obokun Local Government Area and the wider Ijesaland region.
Calling on law enforcement authorities to act decisively, the party urged the Nigeria Police Force and relevant security agencies to launch an immediate and transparent investigation to track down, arrest, and prosecute the perpetrators.
Olabisi stressed that the untimely death of Dele Ayegbo represents one loss too many for the opposition in the state, emphasizing that failure to deliver justice would further encourage political thuggery and extrajudicial killings during critical electoral exercises.
Providing broader context on security conditions in the state, the APC publicity secretary stated that politically motivated violence has resulted in the deaths of more than thirty party members and supporters across Osun State since 2022.
He highlighted Ijesaland as an area hit particularly hard by security breaches, asserting that seventeen of those reported casualties occurred within the zone.
The party also voiced strong dissatisfaction with the state government’s response to recurring security challenges, criticizing the chief security officer of the state for failing to issue clear public condemnations following attacks on opposition figures.
The APC claimed that such silence signals tacit approval for extrajudicial violence against political rivals.
Olabisi warned that the systematic targeting of APC loyalists is a calculated strategy aimed at disenfranchising citizens by creating an atmosphere of fear that deters voter turnout on election day. He reaffirmed that despite the heightening insecurity, the party’s leadership, campaign council, and grassroots supporters remain steadfast in their determination to participate peacefully in Saturday’s gubernatorial contest.
The fatal shooting has intensified political tensions across Osun State as political parties wrap up their campaign activities, with citizens, civil society groups, and electoral monitors appealing to security agencies to deploy adequate personnel to secure polling units, voter communities, and election officials throughout the election period.
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