The All Progressives Congress Action Group (APC-AG) has condemned the arrest of 75-year-old former executive governor of the old Ondo State comprising Ondo and Ekiti States, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua by the police.
A statement by the group’s spokesperson, Segun Dipe, stated that Olumilua was arrested from his Ikere-Ekiti home on Tuesday and taken to Ado Ekiti Police headquarters by the police, on the basis of a petition written by one Barrister Paul Omotoso who described himself as the Secretary of the party in Ekiti State.
According to Dipe, Olumilua, “is a member of APC, an elder and leader of the party who has been trying to ensure that peace reigns in the party and the splinter groups come together to foster unity. Reporting such a person or arresting him is tantamount to an intolerable abuse of phantom power.
“The offence allegedly committed by Evangelist Olumilua as enumerated in the petition written by Barrister Omotoso are that he organized a “subversive” party meeting in his house and he nominated somebody and a minister without consulting with the party exco. Facts available has revealed that Barrister Omotosho was acting to the instruction of a former governor of the state.
“It befuddles us that it is in this age and time, when the rule of law holds sway, that Barrister Omotosho and his co-travellers would embark on such desperation journey to nowhere, insulting the personality of Barrister Olumulia and, by extension, APC in Ekiti State and Nigeria with such baseless allegation. Assuming they did so out of ignorance or blind loyalty to somebody, the police should have been well-informed and more professional in their handling of the matter.
“It is not only annoying, but at the same time laughable. Evangelist Olumilua could not have been holding an illegal meeting in his own house against his own party. As an elder and leader in the party, we always run to him for advice on how to move the party forward and we have been begging him to come out of his political retirement to contribute his quota in returning our party to the path of sanity in the state.
“We also seize this opportunity to inform the public that a past governor of Ekiti State, has been embarking on arm-twisting and bullying tactics to create fears in the minds of party faithful and ensure that he gets support to be recognized as the leader of the party in the state and at the national level.
“He has been using police, SSS and thugs to terrorise those opposed to his dictatorship and ambition in recent times. We are hereby calling on the Inspector General of Police and the Director-General of DSS to call anyone embarking on such ego trip at the expense of innocent citizens to order”.
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