The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Osun State election, Senator Iyiola Omisore, over his use of masked security men during his campagn for the August 9 election in the state.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the only reason Omisore could have resorted to hiring ‘ninjas’ for protection was because he was afraid of his own shadows.
It wondered how a man, who wanted to rule a state would be afraid to move freely among the same people whose votes he was seeking, saying the PDP candidate should emulate Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who was barely distinguishable from the ordinary citizens of the state.
‘’Every month, Aregbesola leads the people of the state in a jogging exercise on the streets, during which he mixes freely with them. Not once has a ‘ninja’ been spotted behind him in the name of security.
“During his campaign, Aregbesola has continued with his tradition of being with the people without any invasive security. Omisore has a lot to learn from Aregbesola, and should realise that being a people’s governor goes beyond a made-for-television eating of roasted corn or riding of Okada,’’ APC said.
The party stated that if the PDP governorship candidate had known the history of masked gunmen or ‘ninjas’, he would not have resorted to the use of masked security men for protection.
Its words: ‘’The message which the use of masked gunmen sends to the populace is that of intimidation, harassment, espionage, sabotage, assassination and terrorism. No one seeking to rule a state should want to be portrayed in that light. Therefore, we call on Omisore to immediately halt the use of masked gunmen unless, of course, it is a deliberate ploy to intimidate and terrorise the same people he wants to govern.’’
APC said it was bad judgement for anyone, least of all a public official, to resort to the use of ‘ninjas’ for security at a time the country was reeling from terrorist attacks that had left thousands of people dead or injured.
The party wondered why uniformed or plain-cloth policemen and State Security Service (SSS) personnel were not good enough for Omisore.
“Omisore and the PDP should please spare the peaceful people of Osun State any further harassment and intimidation. The PDP should prevail on its candidate to be civil. A man who wants to rule a state should not be afraid to mix freely with the same people. Osun people say no to ‘ninjas’.
“If Omisore and the PDP think we are crying wolf, they should monitor the comments being made on the picture that has been posted in the social media showing a ‘ninja’ standing behind the PDP governorship candidate. Perhaps then, they will realise how much they have goofed,’’ the APC said.

Omisore’s ‘ninja’ security: PDP candidate afraid of his shadows –APC