Ekiti PDP Assembly candidate alleges threat to life

The House of Assembly candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who represented the Ijero constituency in the last election in Ekiti state, Mr Oluwatoyin Dada, has petitioned the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Amba Asuquo, alleging threats to his life.

He made the allegation in the petition dated September 13, 2019, titled “Save my soul, over threat to my life by APC members in Ijero-Ekiti”, a copy of which was made available to Tribune Online on Monday.

Dada claimed that his travails were not unconnected with the resolve of his political party to challenge the result of the election currently ongoing at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The PDP candidate, from Ayegunle-Ekiti in Ekamarun Ward Ijero Local Government Area, said, “I am constrained to write this letter to intimate the police, my party, partners and friends of despotic happenings in Ijero-Ekiti, over the House of Assembly polls.

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“I believe I won the election, but I was not declared the winner. Hence, the resolve to challenge the result and since then, my life is under threat and some leaders of my party are under siege since we filed the case in court.

“During the campaigns, we were subjected to countless attacks. I escaped several assassination attempts. Our campaign vehicles were severally attacked and our rallies disrupted. We went through the pre-election process under constant onslaught from political thugs and merchants of violence.

“Despite the violence-prone climate, I strongly believe that I won the election, but in order not to take laws into our hands, we approached the law court.”

He claimed in the petition that some unknown people in different cars with covered number plates were allegedly on his trail last Thursday morning between Aramoko and Ijero-Ekiti road and appealed to the state Commissioner of Police to take prompt action to ensure his section at his Ijero-Ekiti country home and beyond.

The petitioner in his petition, which was submitted along with a sworn affidavit number 1044542 dated same day in the Chief Magistrate Court, particularly alleged that some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijero Local Government Area were behind his ordeal.

Confirming the receipt of the petition, Inspector Awotodunbo Abiodun said: “On Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, a letter of Save my Soul, addressed to the Commissioner of Police, was received and was handed over to me for investigation.

“An extract was, however, issued to him to enable all law enforcement agents concerned to please take note of this fact. The extract was signed by the State Officer Analyst, ASP Owolabi Agbetayo. So, I can confirm that we received a petition and we are currently looking into it.”

Reacting, however, APC in Ijero Local Government Area, Chief Ade Adelerin, denied knowing the candidate, but added that the chairman of the party in Ekamarun Ward in the local council, Chief Josiah Afolabi, described the allegation as a cry from a frustrated mind.

Asking why anyone would be after him when his matter is still in court, he said: “I want you to ignore his ranting. He is a frustrated young guy. He contested and he lost.

“Now tell me why should anyone be threatening him when he has taken his matter to court? But he knows that he will lose the case and I think that was why he is crying like an abandoned child now.”