PDP Members Protest against Remand of Party Chieftain in Kwara

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Hundreds of the members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State have protested against the reported remand of one of the party’s chieftains, Alhaji Tajudeen Sulu-Oloje, by a magistrate court in Ilorin, Kwara State yesterday.

Sulu-Oloje was the former chairman of Ilorin West Local Government Area and a leader of the PDP in the state.

The state party Chairman, Rt. Hon. Babatunde Muhammed, who spoke with journalists at the court premises in Ilorin, condemned what the PDP described as alleged unlawful arrest, harassment, and remand of Sulu-Oloje.

The Ilorin magistrate court had yesterday ruled that it had no jurisdiction to hear the matter and adjourned the case till October 21, 2024, while the PDP stalwart was remanded in one of the correctional facilities in the state.

Mohammed said that the arrest of the PDP chieftain was on the directive of the state Police Command over a petition written against him.

He described the arrest as an attempt to oppress opposition members into silence following the recent local government elections in the state 

The state PDP chairman said that the allegations used by the police to re-arrest Sulu-Oloje are the same charges taken to court on the eve of the local government elections, for which he was granted bail by the court.

Mohammed added: “Additionally, all complainants in the case have withdrawn their petitions and expressed the desire to settle the matter amicably to protect their community’s interest.

“This was reaffirmed by all of the complainants, who also came in solidarity to the police headquarters in Ilorin and stayed up till late night yesterday even though they are all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“It is clear that Sulu-Oloje’s only crime before the Commissioner of Police is his membership of the PDP. While our party remains committed to peaceful conduct and lawfulness, we will not tolerate the use of state apparatus to intimidate our members.

“Furthermore, we call on the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the activities of the Kwara State Police Command under its current leadership to ensure that the police are not used as a political weapon by desperate politicians in the state,” he said.

Also, in his remark, the state Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Olusegun Olusola Adewara, said that the ongoing persecution of opposition members in the state would hinder healthy democracy.

He said that: “It is worrisome that some of our members have been arrested since after the last government council poll.

“We also learnt from grapevine that a list of members of the PDP has been sorted out for arrest, and this will not bring peace to the state.

“We are calling on the police headquarters in Abuja to investigate the matter so as to avoid any kind of lawlessness in the state.”