The Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had its inaugural sitting on Monday with hoodlums, suspected to be political thugs targetting and beating members of the Peoples Democratic Party on the court premises at Isabo, Abeokuta.
At the tribunal, the governorship candidate of the PDP, Ladi Adebutu, is challenging the emergence of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the March 18 governorship election in the state.
While the sitting commenced within the court, the political thugs stormed the tribunal premises with canes, otherwise known as pankere, in their hands and freely used them on the opposition members.
The thugs, who were not near the members of the tribunal, were seen attacking their political enemies with canes while policemen and security agents looked away.
The victims were beaten by these thugs and chased away.
Among those beaten was a former PDP governorship aspirant in the state, Segun Sowunmi.
The thugs descended on Showunmi while trying to gain access to the court premises and beat him.
took the efforts of security men to rescue Showunmi, as they took him into one of their vans and drove him away from the rowdy scene.
Reacting to the incident, Showunmi said it was regrettable that security operatives were helpless as PDP members were being attacked.
“It is so unfortunate the police looked on and felt unconcerned while the thugs were carrying out their act,” Showunmi said.
Though the road that leads to the court was barricaded at both ends by the police, this did not stop the hoodlums from attacking their targets.
The situation became a free-for-all as the political thugs roamed about the premises with canes in their hands while police made no attempt to arrest them or stop them from causing chaos.
A policeman, who did not want his name in print said, “There is nothing we can do; we can’t arrest them. Everything about Ogun is always different.”
A PDP member, who was one of those attacked by the thugs, said he lost his phone, money and other items in his possession while being beaten.
The situation forced some members of the opposition to flee the court premises in a bid to avoid further attacks.
Several attempts to contact the new Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Omolola Odutola, failed, as calls placed to his mobile line did not connect.
Odutola, who replaced the immediate-past PPRO, Abimbola Oyeyemi, had yet to officially resume.
Also, the Publicity Secretary of the APC in the state, Tunde Oladunjoye, could not be reached as of the time of filing this report.
Calls made to his number did not connect as he was said to have travelled out of the country on Hajj pilgrimage.