PDP, APC Trade Words Over Insecurity

 The All Progressive Congress ( APC) in Ekiti State has accused its main rival, the People’s Democratic Party of sponsoring disaffection and ill will in the state, saying the party may have been behind the resurgence of kidnapping and other criminal acts in the state in recent time.

APC noted that the Governor Kayode Fayemi led administration has invested heavily insecurity of lives and property in the state, adding that isolated cases can not be used to judge the efficiency of the security web in the state

The APC in a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Hon. Ade Ajayi stated that

“Governor Fayemi is at the forefront of working with stakeholders at the federal, regional, state, and community levels, to make our state safe.

“At the regional level, he was central to the creation of the Western Nigeria Security Network (codenamed Operation Amotekun) and continues in the bid to improve their operational effectiveness. He is vital to regional efforts aimed at enhancing collaboration amongst our neighbouring states to improve the security situation in the region.

“At the state level, through the Ekiti State Security Council, Governor Fayemi and other stakeholders have carried out several holistic and integrated interventions at the strategic and tactical levels to address insecurity.

“At the community level, the Government of Ekiti State has consistently engaged with community stakeholders on measures to improve intelligence gathering, early warning mechanisms, and structures for rapid response to security breaches. This is a very crucial aspect of building a resilient security architecture that requires the input of all and sundry. It requires bipartisan cooperation, mutual trust, and the setting aside of all differences to have a strong and unified response. As patriots and honorable Ekiti people, it requires putting Ekiti first before politics – an idea that sadly appears to be far removed from the imagination of Ekiti PDP.

“Governor Fayemi would continue to support the extensive joint patrol of the dark spots and bushes by the RRS, Amotekun, and the regular police. He would continue to strengthen the Ekiti State Security Trust Fund, provide equipment and logistics for security outfits, involve the traditional institutions in the security of their domains, lobby the military authorities to set up military security bases in the state, fence public schools, amongst other classified efforts.

“It is true that we are currently facing huge security challenges in the country, which are the culmination of several factors far more complicated than the simplistic way Ekiti PDP has chosen to look at things. Some of the conditions that birthed these challenges originated and were nurtured during the years of misrule by the PDP at the state and national levels. We would however not join issues with the Ekiti PDP on this since they have demonstrated a lack of cognitive capacity to comprehend state affairs.

“We would rather concentrate on doubling up our efforts to address the problems. We would concentrate on working with well-meaning people to ensure our homes, our roads, our farms, our workplaces, our educational institutions, our places of worship, and every other space in Ekiti is safe and secure.

“We expect that in keeping with democratic principles, Ekiti PDP would play their role as a responsible opposition and proffer constructive criticism and suggestions, and not fan embers of disaffection that would be inimical to our efforts in ensuring grassroots stakeholders have a greater role to play in our security architecture. With the vacuous diatribe by Ekiti PDP, they have dishonored the memory of the dear departed lost to the spate of insecurity and caused further pain to those who have suffered in one form or the other.

“The discerning should be curious about Ekiti PDP’s position on the matter. The hearts and minds that can be so desperate and insensitive to conjure such lies, are very capable of orchestrating criminal events to support their libelous narrative. We are glad that they have inadvertently offered an insight into the thinking in their camp and provided leads that the security agencies would investigate thoroughly, in line with the suspicion that many of the security incidences in the state have happened with the active connivance of criminal informants. Already, a suspect has been caught in relation to the recent security incident on the Ewu Ekiti and Aiyetoro Ekiti road, who is cooperating with the police”, APC said.

…APC has failed

In its reaction, the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Me Raphael Adeyanju, said the APC should just accept the notorious fact that the ruling party has failed the nation on the issue of security.

The opposition said: “This is a very laughable allegation. How can a failed ruling party accused us of sponsoring Kidnappings and killings?

“They have killed, maimed, and committed all sorts of atrocities, which we have exposed and which they have not found any meaningful explanation for. Any time you challenge them, they always resort to insults, Ekiti people know the difference between the two parties.

“The APC should try to address all the issues we have been raising and stop all these dirty tricks. We have only asked them to fulfill their electoral promises, which they have failed to do. When they came, they promised to turn the economy around, but instead, they have destroyed everything.

“On security, they have failed completely and we stand on our point that the APC is a terrorist party. If they are not, let them convinced Nigerians through their actions”, the party stated.