The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State have disagreed over the growing insecurity in the state with the latest on the killing of a man and abduction of two others on Friday night.

The PDP reiterated its call on the State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi to pay attention to the increased security challenges, adding that, “it was disturbing that in a state being governed by a supposed holder of PhD in War Studies, bandits have taken over everywhere.”

According to a statement on saturday, by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Raphael Adeyanju, the party said, “time has come for stakeholders in the State to confront Governor Fayemi and ask him whether or not he has understanding with these marauding bandits not to touch them.”

The PDP described as unexplainable, “a situation where a particular road has become like a permanent operational base for kidnappers and nothing has been done by the All Progressives Congress (APC) governments both in Abuja and Ado Ekiti.”

The statement added, “It was on that same road that a Commissioner in Governor Fayemi’s government, Olabode Folorunso and a woman were abducted and a councillor in Ilejemeje Local Government killed in April, last year. On this same road that the traditional ruler of Ewu-Ekiti, Oba Adetutu Ajayi, was shot by bandits on April 10, 2021.

Also on June 10, 2021, two hotel workers in Ayetoro-Ekiti were kidnapped while the hotel’s security guard was inflicted with machete cuts.

“This week too, a former Chairman of the National Union of Roads Transport Workers (NURTW), Clement Adekola was attacked by Fulani kidnappers along Ikere Ekiti-Igbara-Odo road. He escaped narrowly, with his vehicle riddled with bullets.

“Rather than jumping from one State to the other to commission projects executed by his fellow governors, why can’t Governor Fayemi face governance in Ekiti and make the State safe for residents and visitors?

But condemning the position canvassed by the opposition party, the APC, said politicising issues that bordered on security of lives and property confirmed that the PDP is an irresponsible and lazy party.

The Senior Special Assistant to Fayemi on Inter-party Relations, Sam Oluwalana, contended that the present government has invested a humongous amount of resources to put proper security in place, contrary to what the PDP was painting.

The ruling party appealed to the PDP to refrain from comments that could portray it as mocking the dead , saying lives should be considered sacred and people should rather sympathise with those who lost their lives, rather than dancing on their graves.

“For the PDP to have politicised this type of issue, where life was lost showed that they are irresponsible and lazy. The issue of insecurity is one that affects the entire country, and Ekiti wasn’t an exemption.

“I want to say that Governor Fayemi is working hard to secure the lives of the citizens and we should all join hands with him to ensure that criminals are exposed rather than making political comments that could heat up the system,” Oluwalana said.

TodayNG