The Social Democratic Party (SDP) chapter in Oyo State has expressed concern that the state’s governor, Seyi Makinde, was responsible for the cancellation of the party’s rally there.
The party made this disclosure at a news conference on Tuesday.
Some of the leaders of the party who were present at the press conference held at the state party’s office in Ibadan, included South-West chairman, Silas Alani: Oyo North senatorial district candidate, Mulikat Adeola, the state chairman, Michael Okunlade and the state secretary, Michael Owokoya.
In their remarks to the media, the party’s leaders claimed that they were unable to stage the rally they had planned for Tuesday at Mapo Hall because the state police command had recommended them to postpone the event until Wednesday.
The party’s leadership said that Makinde persuaded the police to call off the protest.
The party’s candidate for governor, Barrister Michel Folorunsho Lana, spoke to the media and expressed surprise at the police response after organizing supporters from all around the state for the protest.
He insisted that the police commissioner will be reported to the proper authorities.
Lana, while speaking further, insisted that the commissioner and the governor would be held responsible if anything happened to any of the party members in the state.
Lana said, “We are surprised at the attitude of the state Commissioner of Police, Adebowale Williams, who has turned himself to a personal police of the governor rather than being the security chief of the state.
“At the beginning of the campaign season, the police directed all political parties to inform it of any political campaign or function, thus, on January 30, we duly informed the commissioner of police of our mega rally, scheduled to hold today at Mapo Hall.
“Our letter was duly acknowledged which was an indication that no other political party applied to use the venue or hold rally in the local government (Ibadan South-East).
“After spending lots of resources for preparation, the police called around 7am today and said the rally should be cancelled because the governor wants to hold a rally at the same venue.
“The plan is to cause a clash between the two parties but being a peaceful party, we have decided to bear the losses to avert bloodshed at Mapo Hall.”
