Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara state have protested the reported remand of one of his chieftains in the Ilorin West local government area of the state, Alhaji Tajudeen Sulu-Oloje, by a magistrate court on Wednesday.
Speaking with journalists after the court session, the PDP members, who carried placards with various inscriptions and led by the state chairman, Hon. Babatunde Mohammed and the state publicity secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, condemned what they described as alleged unlawful arrest, harassment, and remand of Alhaji Sulu-Oloje.
The Ilorin magistrate court had ruled that it had no jurisdiction to hear the matter and adjourned the case till October 21, 2024, while the PDP stalwart was remanded in one of the correctional facilities in the state.
The people, who said that the arrest of the PDP chieftain was on the directive of the state Police command over a petition written against him, described the arrest as an attempt to oppress opposition members into silence following the recent local government elections in the state
The state PDP chairman and the State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Adewara, said that the allegations used by the police to re-arrest Alhaji Sulu-Oloje are the same charges taken to court on the eve of the local government elections, for which he was granted bail by the court.
“Additionally, all complainants in the case have withdrawn their petitions and expressed a desire to settle the matter amicably to protect their community’s interest. This was reaffirmed by all of the complainants, who also came in solidarity to the police headquarters, Ilorin and stayed up till late night yesterday even though they are all members of the ruling APC.
“It is clear that Alhaji Sulu-Oloje’s only “crime” before the Commissioner of police is his membership in the PDP. While our party remains committed to peaceful conduct and lawfulness, we will not tolerate the use of state apparatus to intimidate our members.
“Furthermore, we call on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the activities of the Kwara State Police Command under its current leadership to ensure that the police are not used as a political weapon by desperate politicians in the state”.
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