A member of the House of Representatives, Hon Davidson Akinlayo, has denied sponsoring hoodlums to disrupt the All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election held on Saturday in Ekiti State.
Akinlayo, who represents Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido-Osi Federal Constituency at the National Assembly and is seeking re-election, said the allegation was not only politically motivated but also a calculated attempt by his detractors to tarnish his image and discourage his supporters from voting for him.
Recall that the police in the state arrested 11 suspected political thugs armed with dangerous weapons at a hotel in Ikun Ekiti, claiming they were being sponsored by the federal lawmaker.
Speaking with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, Akinlayo stated that only two of the people arrested were known to him, saying the duo were his media aides.
The federal lawmaker said, “They said they went to that hotel and caught some people. It is only two people that I know from that group, the head of my media team and the assistant media aide, who are well known in Ekiti State. They are media gurus and they have never been involved in any criminality.
“So the rest that were arrested are well known in town. None of them is from my federal constituency, none of them works for me, and I don’t live in the hotel. I only lodged there for two or three days when my house was fumigated, and I had left the hotel and returned to my house.”
On the identity of the other arrested persons, he said, “They are appointees of government, we all know them. Ijaya is well known in society, he is a government appointee. All of them are on government payroll. They are non-state actors; you know the people they call non-state actors? Yes, they are all non-state actors in the state. So how are they working for me? How come I now bought them guns? Do I even have a gun myself?
“Why would I buy somebody a gun to do what? I had a thriving business before joining politics. I’m not a puppet, for crying out loud. I have a functional gas plant, I have functional filling stations all around, and I am into real estate, so I was never a poor person.
“I came into politics with my wealth, and I spend my money on people. That’s one of the reasons people like me. People love me because I do a lot of charitable work. I contribute to people’s lives. I have affected many lives in this environment and touched so many lives. I am not one of those politicians people call and cannot reach, or seek help from without getting assistance. I help people regardless of the party they belong to, even outside my constituency, from Ado to Omuo and every community in Ekiti State.”
Akinlayo, who stated that he was on a campaign tour of Ilejemeje on Thursday and also attended a security meeting before resuming campaign activities the following day, alleged that his opponent, who had not campaigned in a single ward in the constituency, was boasting of using his connections to win the primary by writing the results.
“My opponent is only eager to write results. He is not ready for the primary, he is not ready for real contest, and democracy is government of the people, by the people. It is not by an individual sitting comfortably at home and writing results. What I wanted from the government was for them to allow a level playing field for all aspirants to test their popularity on the field.
“My opponent has been going up and down claiming that Gbaja is the one who asked him to come and contest, that he is the one sponsoring him. He is using Gbaja’s name to intimidate everybody around, but nobody can intimidate me. I’m an Ekiti man, a thoroughbred Ekiti man. Nobody can intimidate me. It is the people that matter to us.”
While maintaining that his media aides who were arrested were not criminals, he said, “I campaigned in three local governments and nobody was injured despite the massive crowd. There has not been a single injury in the last four days.
“How can they now claim that I wanted to rig the election? I’m the candidate to beat. I am popular. A popular candidate doesn’t need anything; he only needs the masses and support from God. I don’t depend on the support of anybody, but I have God behind me. That’s why people love me, and they should just allow a level playing field.”