The Osun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described recent claims by a purported former APC governorship aspirant, Professor Raifu Oyewole Durodoye, alleging assassination threats over his criticisms of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s administration, as “a desperate political stunt” aimed at garnering unwarranted public attention.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PDP accused Durodoye of turning a public backlash against his allegedly misleading assessment of the Adeleke-led government into a fabricated narrative of victimhood.

“The so-called security alarm raised by Mr Durodoye is nothing but a poorly scripted drama by a political actor overwhelmed by the massive public response to his ill-informed claims,” the party said.

The PDP further asserted that the former aspirant was mistaken to equate robust public criticism and citizens’ right of response with threats to life. “Democracy does not shield anyone from scrutiny, especially those peddling falsehoods under the guise of intellectual authority,” the statement added.

The party highlighted that Durodoye had previously described Osun State hospitals as “mass death centres” without providing any empirical evidence. This claim, according to the PDP, was “decisively countered” by the state government through the Special Adviser on Public Health, Dr Akindele Adekunle, and rejected by citizens and independent observers alike.

“The public response he suffered was simply the consequence of his own errors, not an attack on his life,” the party noted.

Hezekiah Oladele Bamiji, PDP Media Director in Osun State, called on the Nigeria Police Force to investigate the allegations. He warned that false security alarms could unnecessarily escalate tensions and undermine public peace.

“Society must not allow self-seeking alarmists to manipulate public sympathy or abuse national security institutions for political relevance,” Bamiji said.

The PDP reiterated that Osun State remains peaceful and firmly focused on development under the leadership of Governor Ademola Adeleke.