Police Drag Ekiti PDP Chairman to Court Over Alleged Theft
The Ekiti State Police Command has arraigned the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Tunji Odeyemi, along with three other party officials, over allegations related to a dispute involving the party’s secretariat at Ajilosun, Ado-Ekiti.
Those arraigned with Odeyemi include Chief Makanjuola Ogundipe, the party’s State Secretary; Mr. Kole Abiodun; and Mr. Gani Salau, Personal Media Aide to the Ekiti PDP governorship candidate, Dr. Oluwole Oluyede. The four appeared before a Magistrate’s Court in Ado-Ekiti.
Reports indicate that the PDP leadership had earlier received an invitation from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) to appear at their office beside the Police State Command on Old Iyin Road.
Upon arrival, the new RRS Commander reportedly read out a petition accusing them of vandalism, conspiracy, theft, and illegal invasion of a property allegedly owned by Adebutu Kensington.
The petition, said to have been drafted by Barrister Falade and Ariyo Afolabi, claimed that the Ajilosun property belongs to Ladi Adebutu, the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State during the 2023 general election.
The PDP delegation, however, disputed the claim, explaining to police that the party lawfully purchased and developed the property.
They reportedly pledged to provide documentary evidence supporting their ownership if required.
Police officers then took written statements from the party leaders and conducted an inspection of the secretariat before returning them to the RRS office.
The PDP officials alleged that after several hours of administrative delays, they were presented with what they described as strict bail conditions, including a requirement that each of the three principal officers produce a Level 16 civil servant in the Ekiti State civil service as surety.
According to them, they initially chose to stay in custody pending court arraignment to allow a judicial resolution of the ownership dispute.
However, following interventions from prominent individuals and legal representatives, the bail conditions were reportedly relaxed, leading to their release around 9 p.m. with instructions to report back the next morning.
Instead of meeting with the Commissioner of Police as expected, the four were later moved from the RRS office to the Magistrate’s Court, where they were formally arraigned.
Reacting to the situation, the PDP’s lawyer in Ekiti State, Owoseeni Ajayi, condemned the arrests, describing the matter as a purely civil dispute over property ownership rather than a criminal case.
Ajayi stated that the Ajilosun secretariat belongs to the PDP and argued that no legitimate complainant has proved a contrary claim of ownership. He emphasized that any disagreement over property rights should be resolved in civil court, not through police action and criminal charges.
The lawyer also confirmed that bail issues were being addressed and expressed confidence that the judicial process would ultimately clarify the true ownership of the disputed party secretariat.
