Olayeye Akintide Gbangba is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview, he recounts how his property was destroyed by political thugs in the shoot out that erupted on Sunday between the APC and PDP supporters in Akure, the State capital.
Excerpt :
Can you tell us what happened ?
This morning( Sunday) when I woke up, I was about to come to my guest house and my manager called me that I should not come to the guests house and I asked why? He said the place has been vandalized as there were shootings.
He said my properties have been destroyed that Idajo (Ondo state Chairman of NURTW) brought his boys there to destroy everything there. I have all the pictures with me.
I have to stay back and I told him to go and report to the appropriate security operatives which he has done. He has gone to the A’division (police station) and we are making some other contacts too because I don’t know, the place is a business centre and there’s no event there.
It was very early on Sunday between 8am to 9am that they came. No political meeting, nothing
whatsoever, they just said they entered the place and started shooting asking of me.
Fortunately enough I was not there because if I happened to be there, something else would have happened because nobody has the monopoly of thuggery.
I would have resisted it and it might have generated to another thing but I just thank God.
This is just becoming unbecoming. I mean everybody is free to pick a choice of anybody you want to vote for or a candidate of your choice it should be a free volition.
No amount of intimidation people know where they are going. People know who to be voted for. If the government of the day is doing fine people will vote for him naturally.
In 2016, he was voted for and he was declared the winner and there was no litigation anywhere so I don’t know why the harassment and why they are intimidating people now.
What do you think could have prompted the action of the person you alleged?
There are series of things I’ve been hearing before I came back from the United States.
I saw the clip of Kekemeke which he narrated there that there’s going to be enormous thuggery in this process of election and he said PDP has not seen anything yet and they mentioned Idajo, Bayo Ebira as those people that will carry out the arson which they have actually done so I know the threat he carried out was being Implemented to the fullest and to an extent of even wounding one of my attendants.
The things destroyed there should be close to 500,000 naira. That is the rough estimate of the total destruction. I’ve not been there yet because I have to run for my life too I’m just appealing to the security agency that this doesn’t need to become 1983 issue because if PDP too retaliates, it’s going to become a scandal.
I have called the Deji of Akure and informed him about all these things, that they have to call everybody to order.
I didn’t use politics money to build my business so I don’t know why they believe they should just bounce into my premises and destroy everything that I have there.
What will be your next line of action ?
I’m going to take them to court. I have reported to the appropriate quarters and I will follow it to a logical conclusion by God’s grace. I will follow it up because it’s becoming too rampant and If something is not done to curb all this things, it may degenerate to the level of people going on the road and shooting ,killing all in the name of election which should not be.
Election should be a free volition where everybody should exercise their right.
Reacting in an interview, Idajo who is the Chairman of Ondo state NURTW described the allegation as untrue, adding that his members are not carrying weapons or involved in violence.