By Ayodele Oni
Supporters and members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Wednesday staged a protest in Ado-Ekiti, over the arrest, detention and remand of the party’s candidate for Ekiti State House of Assembly Constituency 1, Ayodele Babatola, demanding his immediate and unconditional release.
Addressing journalists during the protest, former Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly and chieftain of the ADC, Olugboyega Aribisogan, alleged that Babatola was illegally arrested by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) over unsubstantiated rape allegations and accused the police of using ‘Form K’ as a tool for political intimidation.
According to the him, Babatola, who is the ADC candidate for the forthcoming 2027 House of Assembly election, was arrested on Tuesday at about 11am without a valid warrant, which according to him was a gross violation of the Nigerian Constitution.
Aribasogan claimed that the embattled candidate was subsequently remanded through the use of ‘Form K’, which is a police remand warrant application used to seek judicial approval to detain suspects pending investigation or trial.
He alleged that the process was being abused by security operatives in Ekiti State to suppress opposition voices ahead of the elections.
The ADC described Babatola as a social activist and advocate of good governance who had consistently criticised the alleged poor performance of the government, especially on infrastructure and public welfare issues.
The party called on the Inspector-General of Police to review the circumstances surrounding Babatola’s arrest and order his release unless there is a lawful basis for his continued detention.
It also appealed to the Chief Judge of Ekiti State and the judiciary to carefully scrutinise the police application for remand and reject it if there is no credible evidence to support the allegations against the candidate.
His words, “Form K was never intended to be a tool for indefinite detention or political intimidation.
As an American-trained soldier and a well-known advocate for good governance, Ayodele Babatola has never been associated with criminality.
“Nigerians can attest to his public advocacy, especially through his video analyses of the bad state of roads and other societal issues in Ekiti State.”
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