The Minority Leader of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Lukman Adeleye, has strongly criticised the ruling All Progressives Congress for allegedly employing force, violence, intimidation, and military involvement during the just-concluded Local Government election in the state.
Adeleye, who was detained at gunpoint by Nigerian Army personnel and later released from the Ilese Barracks, described the election as a farce orchestrated to undermine democracy.
Speaking after his release, Adeleye expressed his dismay at the involvement of military officers in a democratic process, labeling it as a direct threat to Nigeria’s fragile democratic system.
“Such military involvement is a threat to democracy, and the whole election was a charade,” he said.
Adeleye accused the APC of resorting to undemocratic practices, including violence, rigging, and intimidation, to suppress opposition.
Despite these tactics, he claimed the ruling party suffered significant losses, highlighting their lack of popularity among the electorate.
“You can imagine the level of violence, rigging, and intimidation, and despite all that, they still lost woefully in the election conducted by them. That shows the people have rejected them,” he remarked.
Detailing the situation in Odogbolu, a PDP stronghold, Adeleye emphasized the party’s strong support in the area. He attributed this to effective representation, accountability, and developmental projects executed under his leadership.
“Odogbolu is one of the strongest hold of PDP in the state, coupled with the fact that I am their representative, it is not unexpected that our support base is intact and a majority, especially when we have been so accountable and responsible to our people, doing projects and a whole lot. Our candidates were also top-notch,” Adeleye explained.
In a stinging rebuke of the election process, Adeleye suggested the APC should have bypassed the façade altogether.
“Maybe the government should have simply written names and announced instead of wasting taxpayers’ money on the charade called election,” he quipped.
The lawmaker also criticized the military’s role in the election, alleging they were deployed by a high-ranking official within the state government.
According to him, one of the military officers admitted on camera that their presence was orchestrated by “one SSG.” Adeleye further claimed their involvement was part of repeated attempts to disrupt the election, which the PDP was already leading.
Recounting his ordeal, Adeleye described being forcibly removed from the election venue in a commando-style operation.
He alleged that the military vehicle had already caused harm by running over the leg of an elector before he was whisked away.
“It was a calculated attempt to take me away from the system, and I later learnt that the officers were from Ibadan, even as they came without proper clearance,” he revealed.
He also accused the soldiers of torturing and humiliating him before taking him to the barracks, where they allegedly tried to fabricate charges against him.
“I was later handed over to the police area command before being brought to Abeokuta,” he recounted.
Despite his ordeal, Adeleye expressed satisfaction that the PDP had demonstrated the APC’s alleged fraudulence and unpopularity.
“We are happy that we have been able to prove to the entire people of Ogun State that these people are fraudulent and not popular, as the people have shown them, while it is clear cut that the APC is anti-people,” he concluded.
Adeleye assured the public that he would pursue justice over the use of the military as a tool of oppression, pledging to bring the matter to light and ensure accountability.
