Politics
Alaafin palace shooting: Ilaka’s travail politically motivated – DG
Director-General of the Ilaka campaign organization, Mr. Bola Akinyemi, last Friday alleged that Ilaka’s travail was politically motivated, believing that the incident that led to the shooting was a trap set for his boss.
Akinyemi who spoke to a group of online journalists at the Agodi prison premises in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital dismissed that there was no conspiracy to kill because Ilaka was not aware that his bodyguard was carrying a gun and was not involved in the shooting.
An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ court sitting in Ibadan had earlier ordered that the Oyo Central senatorial district aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bisi Ilaka, 57, and his bodyguard, Temitayo Alamiyo, 45, be remanded at the Agodi Federal Prison for allegedly causing the death of three persons in Oyo town.
In a related development, the police prosecutor, Mr Matthew Ojeah, had told the court that Ilaka and Alamiyo allegedly conspired to commit felony and attempted murder.
Ojeah further recalled that Alamiyo, on September 8, attempted to cause the death of Toheeb Olanrewaju, 20, Modinat Adeyemi, 55, and Tijani Lateef, 35, by shooting them with pump action gun. The incident occurred at the palace of the Alaafin of Oyo.
“He was attending a meeting at the state headquarters of the PDP in Ibadan. As he was attending the meeting, a call came from one of the chiefs in Oyo town that his attention is needed at the palace, to come and play his role in the Oranmiyan festival that was ongoing. He initially didn’t want to go because he was fully engaged but a senior chief insisted that he heeded the call. So he went.
“First, he had to take off from his house in Oyo. When he got to Oyo, he didn’t enter the house. In 2011, his house was attacked in Oyo. That was when he got license to obtain a gun just for self protection. Since then I have never seen him with a gun. In fact he doesn’t go out with two cars. So he doesn’t go about with boys. In fact if you see him with two cars, the other one must be my own. He is not the kind of person that moves about with crowd, in fact he doesn’t like it.
“Now, he left. He didn’t know that his bodyguard, who was among those that went into the house to get his things, had taken his gun and kept the gun in his car. He got to the palace of the Alaafin and because he did not meet the other high chiefs there, he did not spend more than 30 minutes before he decided to leave. He didn’t go there for campaign, otherwise I would have been there”, Akinyemi narrated.
He continued, “ordinarily with Ilaka, anywhere he goes, people mill around him. As they were doing that, he was trying to dish out the little he could give to them. He was in the car when he heard there had been a gunshot. He didn’t even know. Someone came to tell him.
“Verily, I was told that when pandemonium broke out as a result of the gunshot, Ilaka was assisting to rescue one of the injured to the hospital. Within a twinkle of an eye, politics was introduced into it. It is as if a trap had been set and somebody had just fallen into the trap. Before he knew it, the person who shot was caught. The person was his bodyguard. The bodyguard even told the police that his boss did not even know he was carrying the gun. He confessed. He said it was another person that asked him to go and carry the gun. So, it could have been a planned thing. He just fell into the trap.
” As a gentleman, he went to the police station to report the incident. Before we knew it, political dimension had been introduced to it.”
Noting that Ilaka’s travail was political, Akinyemi said that the APC had severally made advances at the PDP chieftain, Ilaka to defect. According to him, he refused in 2014 and most recently when Senator Rashidi Ladoja left the PDP for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
He also recalled that Ilaka was attacked in 2011 in his house, adding that offers were made to him to join the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which he refused.
“I don’t think opposition should be like this. There was accidental discharge, that is the highest that we could go. The person who shot the gun has been caught. He didn’t deny it. And there is no link between Ilaka and the person who shot the gun other than the fact that he is his employee.”
The DG, however informed that no damage had been done to Ilaka’s senatorial campaign.
“The Ilaka campaign is still very much on stream. Supporters should keep the light aglow. No retreat, no surrender. No going back. If they feel they can cow us, they can’t. May be they think they can cow him into rescinding his decision to remain in the PDP. But I want to tell you, he remains an aspirant, in fact, virtually a candidate in the PDP.
Akinyemi, however disclosed that Ilaka is still being held in prison and that the case was adjourned till September 18.
Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday held a high-level strategic meeting with the Oyo State chapter of the party as part of efforts to reposition the APC for victory and prevent internal crisis ahead of the polls.
The development was first scooped by OYOINSIGHT.COM which quoted multiple party sources familiar with the closed-door deliberations.
Sources disclosed that the meeting, held in Abuja, focused largely on a consensus arrangement being considered by stakeholders of the party in Oyo State, in line with political templates reportedly being adopted in Lagos and Ogun states ahead of the next electoral cycle.
Party insiders said the move was aimed at strengthening unity within the fold of the opposition party in the state, minimising rancour during the primaries and presenting a formidable front against rival parties in 2027.
It was further gathered that some members of the state executive committee may have been subtly informed about preferred consensus candidates being considered for elective positions across the state.
Though details of the deliberations were still sketchy as of press time, sources hinted that the national leadership stressed the need for cohesion, discipline and strategic alignment among stakeholders to improve the party’s electoral fortunes in Oyo.
Those at the meeting included the Oyo APC Chairman, Moses Alake Adeyemo; the state secretary, Fatai Adesina Adeniyi; the Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare; the Organising Secretary, Aderemi Adepoju; and the Legal Adviser, Sunday Aborisade.
Others were the Women Leader, Adekemi Opatunde; the Youth Leader, Olalekan Oladejo; Joshua Oyebamiji; Tunde Oloyede; Sunday Babalola; Joseph Omoniyi; and Mojeed Adebayo.
As of the time of filing this report, the party had yet to issue an official statement on the outcome of the meeting.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, on Monday assured aspirants and party members that the party would conduct transparent, peaceful and credible direct primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Adeyemo declared that no aspirant would be victimised or denied a level playing field, stressing that the party leadership remained committed to internal democracy and progressive ideals.
The former deputy governor spoke while receiving members of the APC Screening and Appeal Committees deployed from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja at the APC Secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
He disclosed that although the party initially explored consensus arrangements across elective positions, prevailing realities indicated that direct primaries would be conducted in some areas, including the governorship contest.
Adeyemo said the party had already put necessary structures in place to ensure a hitch-free exercise capable of strengthening unity within the APC.
He said: “We set machineries in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option which is direct primary in certain cases including the governorship ticket.
“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair and credible exercise in all the affected areas even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.
“Where we have more than an aspirant, Abuja would send people to conduct primaries and we at the state level would provide the required support to make everything work out in the interest of our great party.”
The APC chairman explained that all registered party members would participate fully in the exercise at their respective wards on dates to be announced by the National Secretariat.
According to him, affirmation would be adopted in areas where consensus candidates emerge, while voting would be conducted wherever direct primaries become necessary.
“For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation while voting will be done in the cases of direct primary,” he added.
Speaking earlier, Chairman of the Screening Committee and former Speaker of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Taofiq AbdusSalam, assured party faithful that the committee would carry out a thorough, transparent and unbiased screening process.
He said only eligible aspirants would be cleared to participate in the primaries and eventually fly the APC flag in the forthcoming elections.
Other members of the Screening Committee are Kamal Sanusi (Secretary), Smart Oluwole, Tunde Kolade and Olabamiji Agunloye.
Members of the Screening Appeal Committee are Jibola Oduwole (Chairman), Abimbola Jack (Secretary) and Jelil Jimoh.
The Nigeria Democratic Congress on Saturday zoned its 2027 presidential ticket to Southern Nigeria, declaring that the party’s candidate would serve a single four-year term if elected.
The decision was reached during the party’s national convention held in Abuja amid growing momentum within the opposition platform following a wave of high-profile defections from other political parties.
Announcing the development on its official social media handle, the party stated, “NDC presidential ticket is zoned to the South!!”
The party also resolved that its 2031 presidential ticket would be ceded to Northern Nigeria as part of efforts to maintain regional balance and internal equity.
The convention comes as key opposition figures, including former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and former New Nigeria People’s Party presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, joined party leaders and delegates at the Abuja gathering.
Saturday’s convention is expected to ratify several recent decisions taken by the party’s National Executive Committee, including zoning arrangements, amendments to the party constitution, and the election of new national executives.
According to the convention agenda obtained by journalists, discussions centred on zoning, ratification of the amended constitution, and leadership restructuring ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The NDC has in recent weeks witnessed a surge in defections from rival opposition parties, particularly the African Democratic Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Tuesday, no fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives defected from the ADC to the NDC.
Their defections were formally announced during plenary at the House of Representatives.
The lawmakers include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.
Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene, Murphy Omoruyi and Abdulhakeem Ado.
The defections came barely two days after Obi and Kwankwaso formally joined the NDC from the ADC.
The duo were presented with the party’s membership cards last Sunday shortly after a closed-door meeting with party leaders.
A former Governor of Bayelsa State and NDC national leader, Seriake Dickson, officially welcomed the opposition figures into the party.
Obi had attributed his exit from the ADC to worsening internal crises, external interference and what he described as increasing hostility within party structures.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigeria’s political environment had become increasingly toxic, marked by intimidation, insecurity and sustained scrutiny of opposition figures.
He also lamented that institutions meant to protect citizens were now often deployed against them, while individuals committed to genuine public service faced mounting pressure both publicly and privately.
-
Politics2 days ago2027: Oyo APC Set for Credible Direct Primaries, Says Alake Adeyemo
-
Politics8 hours ago2027: APC Perfects Consensus Strategy for Oyo
-
News1 week agoTCN plans power outage in Ibadan over substation maintenance
-
News5 days agoTegbe clarifies: No 3-month promise on power grid, outlines realistic reform timeline