"He had been threatened severely to the extent that some PDP stalwarts said he would soon be 'eliminated' for such action", the resident told SaharaReporters.
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Igbara Oke Ifedore Local Government Area of Ondo state, Mr. Ayodele Kikiowo, has been murdered, according to a family source who spoke with SaharaReporters.
The source, who claimed to be his daughter, Modupe Kikiowo told our correspondent on Friday that her father, Mr. Kikiowo popularly called "Theo" in Igabara Oke was strangulated to death by his assailants.
SaharaReporters gathered that the deceased was also the former chairman of the defunct Labour party (LP) in his ward 10 area before resigning his position for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
A resident, Dayo Babalola revealed to our correspondent that the late Kikiowo resigned from his position in the labour party after the party collapsed into the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and governor Olusegun Mimiko took over its structure.
"He (Mr. Kikiowo) left the labour party when the governor directed that all Chairmans of the party starting from the ward to the unit level should defect to the PDP, but late kikiowo said he couldn’t go to the PDP because he didn’t like the party so he decided to move to the APC.
"Since then, he had been canvassing for the APC and nearly all the people in the streets and ward followed him to the progressives party, as a result of this, he had been threatened severely to the extent that some PDP stalwarts said he would soon be 'eliminated' for such action", the resident told SaharaReporters.
Mr. Kikiowo's death has caused panic in his Adetiloye street in Igbara Oke where sympathisers wear a mournful look, a correspondent who visited the family on Friday afternoon reported.
Already, a serving member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon. Bamidele Oloyelogun, who is also re-contesting for a second term at the Assembly on Saturday has been picketed for the death of the deceased. Oloyelogun was said to have recently threatened Mr. Kikiowo for campaigning against the PDP in the local government area, and had vowed to win Saturday election at all cost.
When our correspondent visited the community, supporters of Hon. Oloyelogun were seen busy campaigning for the state’s House of Assembly polls tomorrow, despite the death of Mr. Kikiowo.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters,Ms. Modupe narrated how her father left the house for a joint (beer parlour) after receiving a phone call from his friend and failed to return home.
"After he had finished eaten, one of his friends called him that they should meet at their usual joint (bear parlour) by the roadside before you enter our street.
"He heeded the call and went out of the house. Only after some few hours they called us to say that he is dead and that some twins believed to be thugs working for a serving member of the state House of Assembly strangulated my father to death at the joint", she said.
A beer parlour operator in the community told SaharaReporters on the phone that the twin killed late Mr. Kikiowo in his shop and immediately fled for fear of arrest.
The operator further said, one of the twin was always seen with Hon. Oleyelogun as an errand boy and dwells in his compound all day.
"Those twin were like thugs and errand boys to Oleyelogun. Ask anyone in the street, and they will tell you but he will pretend that they are entertainers. Moreover, he is using those guys to threaten people in the community. I can tell you that the Hon sent those guys to go and kill Mr. Kikiowo", he said.
Close associates to Hon. Oloyelogun told our correspondent that he is ready to do everything possible to kill the story because "Mr. Governor has intervened and warned journalists not to report the story. I know if all this online media report it, it would get attention.
"Even, Hon. Will not be speaking to any journalists again. He has even switched off his popular line because election is tomorrow and he has to strategize to win the election".
A Police constable in Igbara Oke told SaharaReporters that one of the twins has been arrested and transferred to the Police headquarters in Akure for further investigation.
"We arrested one of the twins, Kehinde precisely and he told us that Taye is currently inside Oloyelogun apartment. We swung into action and we met him inside the building soaking himself with beer, that is all I can tell you", the Police constable said.
Police Spokesman in the state, Oluwole Ogodo confirmed the arrest of the twin to SaharaReporters but refused to give further details saying "investigation has begun but we can't give out much details for now".