By Ayodele Oni
With all seemingly ended, both legal and voting in Ekiti state governorship poll, one of the aspirants on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress APC, Abimbola Olawunmi, has cried out over her alleged persecution.
Olawunmi, one of the three APC aspirants, was disqualified along with Kayode Ojo by the leadership of APC.
She, thereafter, challenged the victory of Governor Biodun Oyebanji up to the Supreme Court which threw out her case.
But in a twist, relations of Olawumi, has claimed that she has been taken away by unidentified individuals in Abuja.
This is coming less than two weeks after she accused Governor Biodun Oyebanji of using security agencies to intimidate and persecute her over her legal challenge to the party’s governorship primary.
The allegation was made by her daughter, Ololade, who said her mother was taken from a hotel located inside a military barracks in the Asokoro area of the Federal Capital Territory.
According to Ololade, her mother moved into the facility after armed men allegedly visited her residence last Wednesday, shortly after she regained her freedom from police custody.
“About an hour ago, she was taken again by unknown persons. She was picked up in Abuja,” she said.
She explained that Olawumi sought refuge at the hotel following what she described as repeated attempts by unidentified armed men to locate her at home.
Ololade further alleged that those who took her mother were dressed in civilian clothing, making it impossible to determine whether they belonged to any security agency.
“I asked if the hotel staff could identify the security agency involved, but they said the men were not wearing uniforms; they were dressed in casual clothes,” she said.
She also claimed that the same group had earlier attempted to gain access to the hotel but was denied entry.
“I believe they later received approval from higher authorities, which was why they were able to take her today,” she added.
The reported incident came hours after Olawumi addressed an open letter to President Bola Tinubu, accusing Governor Oyebanji of orchestrating what she described as a campaign of intimidation through the Nigeria Police Force over her decision to challenge her disqualification from the APC governorship primary in court.
In the letter dated August 2, 2026, she appealed to the President for an urgent private meeting, saying she feared for her life and the safety of her family.
“I am compelled to write this open letter to your esteemed office with a bleeding heart, running out of options, and fearing for the lives of my family and myself,” she wrote.
Olawumi alleged that her troubles began after she instituted legal action over her disqualification from the APC governorship primary.
She claimed that instead of allowing the courts to determine the matter, the Ekiti State governor deployed different police formations to harass and intimidate her across the country.
“For months, the Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has relentlessly hounded me and my family, deploying different units and commands of the Nigeria Police Force to terrorize us across the federation.
“This political vendetta stemmed solely from my peaceful decision to challenge my unlawful disqualification from the APC gubernatorial primary election through constitutional means,” she alleged.
She also accused operatives of the Ekiti State Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of abducting her son on February 20, 2026, as part of the alleged intimidation campaign.
Olawumi further claimed that on July 22, shortly after proceedings related to her case at the Supreme Court, she was arrested outside the Court of Appeal complex in Abuja by operatives attached to the Ekiti RRS.
According to her, she was transported to Ado-Ekiti, detained overnight and later arraigned before a Magistrates’ Court before being granted bail on self-recognition.
She also alleged that police officers later surrounded her Abuja residence despite ongoing discussions with the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force over her arrest.
“The police besieged my house again this morning. From the day I was released from the RRS custody on Thursday, it has been from one police command to the other.
“Yesterday, I met with the IGP (Tunji Disu). I was at the Force Headquarters till about 7 p.m., and a meeting was slated for today, to be anchored by the PSO1, only to be besieged by another set of policemen at about 7 a.m. this morning,” she said.
Although sources alleged that operatives from the Ekiti State Police Command attempted to re-arrest her and return her to Ekiti State, the Ekiti State Government has consistently denied directing any police action against her.
The government maintains that it neither ordered nor had prior knowledge of her arrest, insisting that security agencies operate independently.
Olawumi had challenged her disqualification from the APC governorship primary up to the Supreme Court, which dismissed her suit on July 24, 2026.
Her supporters insist that the repeated police actions against her are connected to the political dispute, an allegation the Ekiti State Government has repeatedly denied.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Nigeria Police Force nor any other security agency had issued an official statement on the reported incident or Olawumi’s whereabouts.
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