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A supporter of the Accord Party, Ajayi Aderogba, was shot dead in the Esa Oke area of Osun State on Tuesday night.
According to eyewitnesses, Aderogba was killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen. His death reportedly triggered protests in Esa Oke.
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said Aderogba was killed while preparations were in progress for a campaign rally in support of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s second-term bid.
The spokesperson for the Imole Campaign Council, Pelumi Olajengbesi, accused a member of the House of Representatives and Director-General of the Osun State Governorship Campaign Council, Oluwole Oke, of sponsoring the attack.
In a Facebook post, Olajengbesi alleged that Oke had attempted to frustrate the planned political event.
“Just yesterday, while we were preparing for a political programme in Esa Oke, Wole Oke made several efforts to frustrate the programme and prevent it from holding,” he wrote.
He described the deceased as a “young, happy and promising man” and one of Governor Adeleke’s foremost supporters.
Oke, however, denied any involvement in the killing and described attempts to link him and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the incident as “misleading.”
“Such conclusions, made without any credible investigation or report from security agencies, are not only premature but deeply irresponsible. As a legal practitioner, he ought to understand the primacy of evidence, due process and responsible public communication,” Oke said in a statement.
In a separate incident, an APC campaign procession in Ede turned tragic when a truck rammed into party supporters, killing one person and injuring seven others.
The incidents have heightened security concerns ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August and intensified tensions between members of the APC and the Accord Party.
An eyewitness alleged that the truck driver deliberately drove into the crowd during the APC procession.
“It was a sad incident and one that could have been avoided. FRSC officials had directed vehicles to use one lane while APC members occupied the other.
“However, the truck driver drove into the lane we were using and rammed into the crowd. The young man was killed in the process, while several others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at the hospital,” the eyewitness said.
