Supporters of the All Progressives Congress and
the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State clashed
at the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, Oyo
State, on Sunday over drilling of borehole for the
traders.The market was recently gutted by fire.
Apart from the State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who
promised to help the traders financially, other
notable people in the state visited the traders and
promised to help them. One of them was PDP
governorship aspirant, Seyi Makinde, who said he
would drill a borehole for the market to forestall
future occurrence.Makinde made good his promise
by starting the project, but on Sunday, workers at
the site of the project were allegedly attacked by
some people, who also blocked the 70-foot
borehole with stones and pebbles.
The attackers were alleged to have been sponsored
by the Chairman of the South-West council area of
the state, Mr. Taoheed Adeleke, under whose
council the market falls. Eyewitnesses said
hoodlums came in large numbers with cutlasses
and other weapons.
The chairman, however, denied being involved in
the attack, when he spoke with our correspondent
on Monday.Traders who spoke with our
correspondent expressed dissatisfaction over the
development.
Chairman of Fancy Section of the market, Mr.
Rahman Olabamiji, said, “Yesterday (Sunday),
Makinde brought an engine and started work on
the borehole without demanding money from us.
They were about to finish the borehole when some
people stormed the market with weapons and
blocked the borehole.”In his response, Adeleke
said, “The council was given an order by the
governor to drill a borehole for the market and we
chose a site. On Sunday, we went there to clear
the debris, but found out that someone had
instructed an engineer to drill another borehole at
the market. When we could not identify the
initiator, we invited the police who sent them
away. We later got the news that Makinde was the
initiator and I wondered why he did not inform us
that he was doing such a project in the market.
Nobody was attacked and no one went there with
weapons. It was all lies.”
SOURCE: http://www.punchng.com/news/apc-pdp-clash-in-ibadan/