Some residents of Okitipupa, the headquarters of Okitipupa local government area of Ondo state, allegedly assaulted the senator representing the Ondo south senatorial district, Yele Omogunwa, on Thursday, January 31.
Punch reports that the lawmaker was assaulted during a visit by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the palace of the traditional ruler of Idepe town, Oba Michael Adetoye.
Hope For Nigeria gathers Omogunwa is the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the forthcoming general elections. The senator was said to be in Osinbajo’s entourage when the incident happened.
One of the youths, who craved anonymity, said: “He (senator) was beaten because he neglected us in the senatorial district; he carried out no constituency projects for the over three years we have elected him.
“He does not have any constituency office in this town; he was not accessible, we couldn’t reach him for over three years; so what does he want here? Election is coming now, so he wants to cajole us again, that will not be possible.”
Another lawmaker, a member of the House of Representatives representing Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency, Bamidele Baderinwa, was allegedly beaten by irate youths in his constituency on Wednesday, January 31.
Baderinwa, who was also said to have been beaten during Osinbajo’s visit to the traditional ruler of Idanre town, was saved by the VP’s security details. Th incident was confirmed by Baderinwa, who condemned the act and called on the inspector general of police to bring the perpetrators to book.
He said: “I call on the Inspector General of Police to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to book to serve as deterrent to others.” The media aide to Senator Omogunwa, however, denied that his principal was assaulted.
He said: “What happened was just a normal thing in politics; at the event the youths came to ask for money. As he was trying to get them money, they thought he was trying to escape; some of the youths were protecting him while some were pushing themselves.
It doesn’t have any political undertone; it is a normal thing that can happen to politicians.
