The African Action Congress (AAC) has strongly condemned the attack on its presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and members of his team in Ekiti State, describing it as an assassination attempt. According to the party, the attack was not an ordinary incident, but a deliberate attempt to eliminate Sowore and his team. The AAC alleged that the Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji, and the state’s Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, should be held responsible for the attack.
The party revealed that a phone allegedly stolen from one of Sowore’s team members during the attack had been traced to the Governor’s Lodge in Ekiti. This discovery has raised concerns about the possible connections between the attackers and individuals within the corridors of power. The AAC questioned how the phone ended up at the Governor’s Lodge, who has possession of the device, and under what circumstances it got there. The party demanded answers from the Governor, Police, and Department of State Services (DSS).
The AAC also questioned the continued withholding of CCTV footage from Tawakalitu Restaurant, which captured the attack. The party wondered why the CCTV cameras at the restaurant were removed, if not to conceal and protect the identities of those who carried out the attack. The party demanded the immediate public release of the complete, unedited CCTV footage from Tawakalitu Restaurant and surrounding premises.
The party stated that the Commissioner of Police and Governor Oyebanji must explain who took possession of the recordings, where they are being kept, and why they remain inaccessible to the public. According to the party, their contradictory accounts, coupled with the latest discovery involving the stolen phone, further established a complicity and cover-up. The AAC also recalled that the Governor’s Chief Security Officer, CSP Ayodele Akinlua, reportedly warned of threats to Sowore’s safety hours before the attack.
The AAC demanded an independent investigation into the stolen phone traced to the Governor’s Lodge, including the identification of whoever possesses it and how it got there. The party also demanded an explanation from Governor Biodun Oyebanji concerning the advance security warning issued by his Chief Security Officer. Furthermore, the AAC demanded an explanation from the Commissioner of Police regarding the withheld CCTV footage, contradictory accounts, and the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest of 11 suspects.
The party called for an independent investigation into the attackers, their sponsors, and any possible involvement of government or security officials. The AAC also demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of everyone found culpable in the attack and any subsequent attempt to conceal evidence. The party stressed that it will not allow Governor Oyebanji and the Ekiti State Police Command to turn a brutal attack into a public relations exercise or bury evidence that could expose those behind it.
The AAC vowed not to retreat, surrender, or be intimidated, adding that it will demand justice for its presidential candidate and team. The party described the attack as a deliberate attempt to undermine the struggle for the total liberation of Nigeria. The AAC maintained that state-sponsored intimidation or political violence will not stop the party’s quest for a better Nigeria.
Key points
- The African Action Congress alleges that the Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji, and the state’s Commissioner of Police should be held responsible for the attack on its presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, and team members.
- A phone allegedly stolen from one of Sowore’s team members during the attack was traced to the Governor’s Lodge in Ekiti.
- The AAC demanded the immediate public release of the complete, unedited CCTV footage from Tawakalitu Restaurant and surrounding premises.
