Oyo PDP guber aspirant threatens to sue police over office raid

A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Oyo state, Seyi Makinde, has threatened to sue the police over a raid on his Ibadan campaign office early in the week.

Makinde, who addressed journalists at the office on Wednesday, also fingered the state government as the mastermind of the raid, alleging an attempt to silence him for nursing an ambition to contest the state governorship seat with Governor Abiola Ajimobi in the 2015 elections.

The office complex, code-named “Omi Tuntun House”, was ransacked by a team of fully armed policemen, assisted by a detachment of the state’s special security outfit, “Operation Burst”, recently when 26 of Makinde’s loyalists were arrested and questioned.

Among the arrested loyalists are Kehinde Ayoola, former speaker of the state House of Assembly; and Mike Akinfenwa, also a former commissioner for establishment in the state.

The security operatives were said to have carried out the raid in search of a cache of arms allegedly kept in the building.

Two other aides of the aspirant, Akeem Azeez and Seye Famojuro, were last week invited by the State Security Service, SSS, to make clarifications on their petitions against some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in the state.

The petitioners alleged threat to their lives and also accused the state government of sponsoring the suspects.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Makinde decried the invasion of his office, adding that he had already briefed his lawyers, whom are considering the possibility of pressing legal charges against the agencies and individuals involved.

In his speech entitled "the return of tyranny', Makinde said the team of fully-armed officers and men from the State CID, Iyaganku Ibadan in company of their leader, one Inspector Dele Fakayode carried out the search on his office over an alleged petition written by agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to silence him and force him out of the race.

"Dele Fakayode claimed they had information that we were hiding arms and hoodlums in our building. Those on ground, including Chief Mike Akinfenwa, Director of Administration and Rt. Hon Kehinde Ayoola, Director of Research and Planning cooperated fully by making every room and office in the building accessible for search.

"Even rooms whose keys were not readily available were voluntarily broken down just to show that we have nothing to hide. At the end of the search, nothing incriminating, no weapon or hoodlum or thug was found in the premises. This was clearly reflected in the report of the police team that came for the search.

"However, it is regrettable that some overzealous officers rough-handled some of our campaign office staff and supporters alike who were genuinely in the building to hold their meetings and do some other duties at the campaign office.

"It must be stressed that section 40 of the 1999 constitution, as amended, guarantees freedom of lawful association and/or assembly. No citizen of Nigeria should therefore be molested in the lawful pursuit of this inalienable right,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state government had denied involvement in the raid, asking Makinde to look elsewhere for the cause of his ‘woes’.

In a statement prepared by the Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Festus Adedayo, and sent to journalists, Ajimobi praised himself for sustaining peace in the state for his three years in office, vowing to ensure that the state does not return to the dark days of politically-induced apprehension.

“The Abiola Ajimobi government, in close to three years, has run a government that is outstanding in bringing peace to Oyo State. Till date, the violence, brigandage and bloodshed that we inherited from the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) has become a thing of the past in the state. We will not now change from this known pedigree of peace. We urge Mr. Makinde to look elsewhere for the source of his problem. As far as we know, the police is a national apparatus, in the firm grip of the PDP-led federal government,” the statement said.