Oyebamiji rejects call for visa sanctions against APC leaders

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji, has faulted the state government’s call on the British High Commission and other foreign missions to impose visa bans on some APC leaders, describing it as “entirely unfounded” and “the joke of the century”.

Speaking during an interactive session with a delegation from the British High Commission in Osogbo on Tuesday, Oyebamiji said if any political party had reason to seek such sanctions, it would have been the APC, citing the killing of several members of the party before and after the 2022 governorship election.

He recalled that APC members were killed in Ilesa, Ile-Ife, Osogbo, Ikirun, Ikire, Ede and other communities, saying the incidents were reported to the police and that the party chose not to politicise them but allowed security agencies to investigate, with several of the cases now before the courts.

The APC candidate said, “Although we were the governing party at the time, we neither sought to politicise the incidents nor level baseless accusations. Instead, we cooperated fully with the security agencies, allowing them to carry out their constitutional responsibilities. Today, several of those cases are before the courts”.

Oyebamiji said his party had remained consistent in allowing law enforcement agencies to investigate such matters professionally rather than attempting to mislead the public or the international community with unsubstantiated allegations.

He, however, described the visit by the British High Commission delegation as reassuring to the APC and the people of Osun at a time the state was preparing for a democratic exercise.

He also commended the British High Commission for its longstanding partnership with Nigeria in the areas of democracy, governance, trade, education, security and development, expressing hope for continued cooperation if elected governor.

Earlier, the Senior Political Adviser at the British High Commission, Wale Adebajo, said the delegation had been in the state since Monday for pre-election engagements with political stakeholders and reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s support for Osun State.