APC is known for political violence – Labour Party accuses

• Labour party accused APC of political violence and corruption
• APC chieftain trade words with Labour party over his statement

Chieftains of the Labour Party (LP) have accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of political violence due to the flurry of political violence that has been reported across Nigeria about three months prior to the 2023 general elections.

Oluwaseun Faleye of the APC and Katch Ononuju of the LP both gave speeches while trading words on Monday’s Sunrise Daily episode of Channels Television.

Ononuju, a special adviser on public affairs to Peter Obi of the LP, who is running for president, accused Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima of using violence against rival candidates in APC-run states.

“We are very disturbed about it. When Mr. Tinubu and Shettima emerged, we knew their history with violence but we were surprised when we saw the violence visited at a rally in Kaduna, also now repeating itself in Maiduguri. We are very worried, we are also aware that the APC supporters in Lagos have used violence repeatedly,” Ononuju said.

“They (the allegations) are unfounded and that is just it because I don’t understand where he got that from. Historically, Lagos has been the bastion of free and fair elections without violence. Lagos is where all the states look up to the conduct of elections. Asiwaju (Tinubu) has been at the forefront of campaigns for peaceful elections,” the APC member stated.

READ ALSO: APC will become extinct after their defeat in 2023- Atiku boasts

However, both men concurred that in order to deter future acts of political violence, security agencies must hold those responsible accountable.

Ononuju claimed that LP supporters are emotional crusaders but are not violent in response to the question of whether or not Obi supporters, also known as “Obidient,” are also responsible for attacking opposition parties.

“Labour Party supporters are vehement, emotional crusaders. These are supporters that were on the streets before Mr. Peter Obi provided a face for their struggle.

“These are not normal politicians; these are Nigerian youths and Nigerian youths are not known to be violent. When they were protesting two years ago when this revolution took shape, the government tried to violently suppress them but the government was not able to,” he said.

According to the LP chieftain, ‘Obidients’ have suffered more in the hands of the government than any other group of people.

“That is why we seek to build a new Nigeria that will be inclusive in the rights of citizens not to be violated and molested by government as were the case,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has declared support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Professor Peter Umeadi.

Soludo said the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and his supporters, known as the ‘Obidients’, was no threat to APGA.

This was as he said the Obidient movement was an offshoot of the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Political Matters, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, on Sunday, the Anambra governor claimed that APGA remained the third largest political party in the country.

Soludo, who believed that the main opposition party was not fair to the South-East by zoning its presidency to the North, said supporting any other party could affect the chances of APGA in the 2023 general election.