APC, Accord supporters clash at shopping complex reconstruction in Ede

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo

Violence broke out in Ede, Osun State, on Thursday as members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party clashed during the flag-off of the reconstruction of a shopping complex in Ede North Local Government Area.

The project was flagged off by the reinstated APC chairman, Mr. Elliot Adeyemi.

The crisis reportedly began when members of the Accord Party stormed the event venue, attempting to halt the exercise, insisting that the reinstated APC chairman lacked the constitutional authority to undertake the project.

They maintained that only the chairman elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) remained the legally recognised chairman of the council.

The disagreement later escalated into a physical confrontation between supporters of the two parties, forcing police operatives to fire tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. Accusations also emerged that the APC chairman brought thugs to the venue to intimidate residents.

It was gathered that the reconstruction followed the earlier demolition of the ultra-modern Mother and Child Complex, which was pulled down to make way for the construction of a dualised road in the area.

Reacting to the incident, Adeyemi described the clash as a misunderstanding with the PDP chairman and insisted that he did not mobilise thugs to the scene.

However, Hon. Amodu Taiwo, PDP chairman of Ede North, accused the APC chairman of attempting to flag off the project without lawful authority, noting that the initiative was started during their tenure as caretaker committee to boost internally generated revenue.