The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has called on the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar,
to urgently redeploy the Ondo State Commissioner of Police to forestall a looming chaos in the State.
According to a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,
the call was made by the ACN Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, and the party’s governorship candidate for the state, Mr. Rotimi
Akeredolu, at a campaign rally held in Ore on Thursday.
According to them, the Police Commissioner has shown his bias in favour of the Labour Party in the state, instead
of being neutral as demanded by the sensitivity of his high office.
They said unless the highly partisan police boss is removed urgently, the clamour for a free, fair and creditable governorship
election in Ondo State Oct. 20th will be a mirage.
Justifying the call, they said the Commissioner of Police has failed to respond decisively and fairly to attacks on ACN supporters in
the past two days, during the party’s campaign rallies in Ikare and Ondo towns.
”It has become a recurring experience in the past two days for suspected Labour Party thugs to unleash terror on ACN
supporters at the end of their campaign rallies.
”After the rally in Ondo on Wednesday in particular, some chieftain of ACN, including notable artists like Ojo Arowosafe
a.k.a Fadeyi Oloro, and a popular Ewi exponent, Femi Elaloro, were among scores of ACN supporters who were attacked
by suspected LP hoodlums, inflicting on them varying degrees of injuries and damaging vehicles belonging to ACN
supporters.
”The State Commissioner of Police, who was promptly contacted about Wednesday’s incident by the ACN candidate, merely
dismissed his (Mr. Akeredolu) report, claiming instead that the ACN instigated the violence. Such action by the Police Commissioner
is not conducive to the conduct of free and fair election, hence he must be redeployed without delay,” the party said.
