Thugs attack Clark’s wife’s campaign train in Ogun

Chief Edwin Clark
| credits: File copy

The Ogun Central senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Bisola Sodipo-Clark, narrowly escaped death on Tuesday evening when suspected thugs attacked her campaign train in Abeokuta.

The woman is the wife of Ijaw leader and First Republic information minister, Chief Edwin Clark.

The Ijaw leader, who is a strong supporter of President Goodluck Jonathan, had visited the PDP leaders in Ogun State and inaugurated the President Goodluck Jonathan Political Centre in Ijebu Igbo, barely 72 hours before his wife was attacked.

Sodipo-Clark was said to have attended a meeting of Wards 10, 11 and 12 of the party in the Totoro area of the Ogun State capital town.

She left the meeting barely two minutes before the thugs invaded the venue and unleashed terror on the people.

Some of Sodipo-Clark’s supporters sustained injuries while chairs and tables were destroyed.

The senatorial candidate told journalists later that she had reported the incident to the police and the Directorate of State Security.

She blamed the attack on the All Progressives Congress, which is the ruling party in the state, saying the APC was out to intimidate her.

“The attack will not cage me in any form,” she added.

The Director-General of her campaign team, Segun Sowunmi, also accused the supporters of the APC as being responsible for the attack.

He said, “The governor was also returning from his campaign, and, sighting the meeting, his suspected political thugs disembarked from the campaign train to launch the attack. Many people sustained injuries.”

However, the Ogun State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s supporters had nothing to do with the attack on Clark’s wife.

Olaniyonu said, “There was nothing like that; I was in the convoy yesterday (Tuesday). When we got to Totoro and we saw the handful of PDP people meeting beside the road, our men were only chanting APC as we were driving along.

“In fact, at one point they were also waving to the convoy, we were conscious of the fact that the opposition thrives on false propaganda to maintain their presence in the media since they are not campaigning. Our supporters are under strict instructions to maintain decorum at all times and avoid provocation. Her convoy once drove through our campaign train in Ofada and no incident. So, why this false claim now?”