From chairmanship candidate to police suspect

 

 --- how comrade Adelana was arrested, detained.

By Patience Ogbo

The chairmanship candidate of the Young Progressive Party YPP in the Shomolu local government area comrade Adesegun Adelana is being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department SCID Panti Yaba Lagos state command. 

Comrade Adelana popularly known as Aluta  according to police sources is said to have contravened the State no movement order when he went to protest his party's omission from the ballot papers. 

 A visit round the wards and polling units confirmed the Young  Progressive Party was missing from the balloting papers. 

Electorates who had gone to cast their votes for the Young Progressive Party YPP went back as they were disappointed

It was gathered that  Comrade Adelana was  arrested at the independent National Electoral Office INEC in Yaba area of the state where he has gone with his party loyalists to protest the omission of YPP in the ballot papers in the LGA election in the state..

Following the omission,  young men  who claimed to be members of the YPP were seen disrupting elections over the omission of YPP in the ballot paper. 

It was gathered that policemen from the Onipanu division led by the divisional officer CSP Chike Otti  and other security operatives prevented any breakdown of law and order in the area which promoted the INEC officials to continue with the elections seeing that calm has been restored. 

However, there was low turnout of voters as residents were seen going about their businesses and sitting back in their houses. 

Mr. Emeka a resident  said "I am not casting my vote because my party Young Progressive Party YPP was omitted from the ballot papers. I went to the polling unit very early because I want a change but was disappointed with what I saw. I am not voting.  This is sad. The election in Shomolu should be cancelled. 

One of the YPP members  Abayomi Elijah said he was chased and almost killed by suspected thugs out to intimidate the voters. 

" I was heading to our party secretariat when a gang of boys led by one Eyin Bouncing  ran after me. They were about  twenty. I quickly ran into a house. About twelve of them pursued me into the house. They were with weapon like broken bottles, knives and others. They were about to stab me but I pleaded with them  and gave them about N27,000 in my pocket. They left me alone and fled ". 

The YPP chairman in Lagos state Mr. Olatubosun Bolarinwa has called for calm among members of the party and electorates who came out to cast their votes for for the party but were disappointed. 

Mr. Bolarinwa also urged the INEC to cancelled the election following the omission as he called for a rerun. He also urge the police to release comrade Adelana adding that the omission was a set back for Nigeria democracy. 

Efforts to get the reaction of the Lagos State police spokesperson CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi over the arrest was not possible as he did not respond to messages

Comrade Adelana was a member of the All Progressive Congress APC before he decamped to YPP to contest against the incumbent chairman.