The Ogun State governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has lamented the loss of 59 of his supporters to political violence between 2002 and 2011.
Amosun, who made the lamentation in an interview with our correspondent shortly after a political debate in Abeokuta on Thursday, said the prevalence of violence in the nation’s politics was condemnable.
The ACN candidate had in 2003 contested a Senate seat and won while in 2007 he contested the governorship election under the umbrella of the All Nigeria Peoples Party and lost to the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
He said that within that period till date, he had faced a series of threat, intimidation and harassment over his political stance. But he expressed his determination to remain resolute in seeing to a better Ogun State.
He said, “The nation’s politics is characterised with violence, assassinations and threats. It is the responsibility of not only the political players, but all stakeholders to ensure that the nation’s politics is sanitised,”
He criticised the recent bombings at political rallies in some parts of the country and the spate of killings during political clashes.
He advised the youths not to be used as political thugs and resist attempts at being used for rigging and other electoral malpractices during the elections.
Amosun promised to make the youths the focal point of his administration if elected governor and vowed to invest 20 per cent of the state’s budget on education.
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Amosun groans over loss of 59 supporters to political violence