The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, has alleged that there was a coordinated plot to kill him during his recent visit to Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, accusing a presidential aide and the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) of being linked to the alleged attack.
However, the Ekiti State Police Command maintained that the incident was an altercation at a restaurant and not the assassination attempt described by the former presidential candidate.
The police said they rescued Sowore from the scene and had launched an investigation into the incident.
In a fresh statement on Tuesday, Sowore declared, “They planned to kill me,” alleging that new information from sources available to him linked Sunday Dayo Asefon, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Student Engagement and former National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) president, to the alleged October 30 attack.
He claimed Asefon was among the alleged coordinators of the assault, adding that his bodyguard, Ayodeji Akintade Ifeoluwa, and another individual identified as Sola Adenijo, popularly known as Solar, carried out the attack on members of his team.
Sowore further alleged that the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, whom he identified as President Bola Tinubu’s son-in-law, was also linked to the alleged operation, claiming his sources said Ojo mobilised one of the suspected attackers.
According to Sowore, Asefon was in Ekiti State for a City Boys Movement event on October 29, and information available to his team suggested that some individuals connected to the gathering allegedly held meetings where the attack was planned.
He also alleged that the Chief Security Officer to Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji warned some individuals about his presence in the state, while an activist, Moyinoluwa Olowoyo, popularly known as Gigabytes, was allegedly informed that Sowore’s safety could not be guaranteed if he continued his political activities in Ekiti.
The AAC presidential candidate further claimed that discussions were held over his planned participation in the Ikogosi Marathon and alleged that the announcement barring him from the event was delayed until after the attack.
Narrating how the incident unfolded, Sowore said he had granted a one-hour interview at MIDAS 90.5 FM in Ado-Ekiti on October 30 and that the alleged attackers initially planned to assault him at the radio station.
He claimed that his team left the station before those allegedly mobilising for the attack arrived, after which they were trailed by individuals on motorcycles who tracked their movements to Tawakalitu Restaurant in the Dalimore area of Ado-Ekiti.
Sowore alleged that armed men later attacked him and members of his team at the restaurant, leaving several of them injured.
He also alleged that some operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) and police personnel either accompanied or assisted the attackers, saying the allegations were based on information from eyewitnesses.
The Ekiti State Police Command, however, rejected claims that Sowore was kidnapped or attacked by armed thugs, stating that preliminary findings indicated he was involved in an altercation with some individuals at a restaurant before officers responded to rescue him.
The command said Sowore sustained a minor injury and was taken to the Police Hospital in Ado-Ekiti for treatment.
It added that the Commissioner of Police had ordered a discreet investigation to establish the full circumstances of the incident and identify anyone found culpable.
Sowore has rejected the police account, insisting that what happened was a planned attack and not an altercation, while calling for a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible.
The Ekiti State Government has also denied any involvement in the incident, describing Sowore’s allegations against the state as unfounded while urging the police to conduct a thorough investigation and bring anyone responsible to justice.
