Newly freed members of the Ekiti state All Progressives Congress, APC, have cried out to President Muhammadu Buhari to safe them from further harassment by the state Governor Ayo Fayose.
They made this call on Thursday in Abuja, while narrating their ordeal to Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu and Special Assistant, Intergovernmental Relations, Mallam Abduraman Baffa, who received them at the Presidential Villa.
Prince Adeniyi Adedebe, Otunba Olabiwonninu Joseph Rotimi, Mr. Oshofa Sola and Mr. Sola Durowola, were on Monday freed of murder in a judgement delivered by Justice Lekan Ogunmoye of an Ekiti High Court.
Narrating their ordeals to the presidential aides, the men explained how the state governor, Mr Ayo Fayose robed them into murder on matter which they knew nothing about.
“During our three and a half years incarceration, our children stopped going to school because no one could pay their fees and some of us had our housed razed by unknown men”, they lamented.
However, in a show of solidarity to the newly guiltless party members, the Ekiti state APC held a welcome rally in solidarity with them and celebrate their release on Wednesday.
The well attended rally, which also expressed support for the Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration witnessed large crowd of party faithful and supporters from across the state.
“Since the rally, we have been denied of the freedom that the law has offered to us. Governor Fayose has deployed the state Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, to haunt and arrest us with the sole aim of getting us out of circulation till th end of his tenure.
“When we were heading home after the rally on Wednesday, our members were stoned by thugs led by the factional leaders of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, in Ekiti, Mr. Sola Ojo and Rashidi Bello.
“The Governor asked the Commissioner of Police in the state to arrest and charge us for murder; this is after suffering for this long for offense we did not commit,” they stressed.
They appealed to the President to rescue them from undue political intimidation and harassment by the governor and his agents, while expressing fears that their lives and that of their families are no longer safe in Ekiti State.
In his response to the visitors, Senator Ojudu thanked the visitors for refusing to take laws into their hands.
He assured them that their pathetic story would be related to the President; the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.
“Surely, the President is a law abiding leader and he has sworn to the Constitution to protect life and property of every Nigerian, regardless of their party affiliation, tribal background or religious beliefs. You can be rest assured that justice will prevail,” Ojudu said.
Prince Adeniyi Adedebe was a political leader and President of the Apapo Omo Oodua; Otunba Olabiwonninu Joseph Rotimi is former state chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN; while Mr.Oshofa Sola once served as-Deputy state chairman of the National Union of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW.
Mr. Sola Durowola is a former chairman of Ekiti State Task Force on Signage and Advertisements under former governor Kayode Fayemi.
They were all freed of murder on Monday.
