- Safiu Kehinde
Former spokesperson of the Labour Party, Lagos State Chapter, Ife Salako, has disclosed how they were denied access to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) office in Alimosho Local Government Area by the police ahead of Labour Party stakeholders’ defection to the ADC.
Salako, who also the Obidient Movement Coordinator in Lagos, made this known in a statement issued on his official X handle on Sunday.
He recounted how he and other LP stakeholders in the council had on Friday paid a courtesy visit to the Area M Area Commander to inform her about their plan to hold the defection event at the ADC’s office which is situated adjacent the Police Station.
This, according to the ex-Labour Party spokesperson, was disapproved by the Police chief who withdrew her initial approval of the letter submitted to her while ordering the event planners at the venue to stop working.
Over 20 police officers would then be deployed to the complex to prevent the event from holding.
Salako further recounted how suspected hoodlums stormed the venue and destroyed the ADC’s properties with no restriction from the police- a development which he claimed also occurred at the second venue selected for the event in Egbeda.
The statement read; “The executive and major stakeholders of the Labour Party (LP) in Alimosho met, voted and unanimously resolved to move the structure into the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“The event was slated for Saturday January 31, 2026 and this event was to hold originally inside the compound of the office of the party.
“On Friday, a day before the event, the leadership of LP in Alimosho felt it won’t be nice having this kind of event and not informing the police.
“It is noteworthy that the Area M Command of the police is adjacent the office and venue of event at Idimu.
“The Chairman of LP Alimosho, in person of Comrade Heritage Olushola, the Secretary, Comrade Moses Akujobi and myself went to the police command to pay courtesy visit to the Area Commander. THIS WAS OUR MISTAKE.
“When we met with the Area Commander and she eventually got to know we are defecting to ADC. She called for the letter we dropped and withdrew her approval and said we should go and get permission from the Police Commissioner. I was shocked.
“I told her WE DO NOT NEED THE POLICE COMMISSIONER TO JOIN ANY PARTY OF OUR CHOICE. That we just thought to come pay courtesy visit.
“After we left her office, she came inside the office compound and gave stern warning to the event planners to stop their work and leave the place.
“I put a call across to her and asked her severally why we can’t hold a political meeting of defection in our office compound? She said it is beyond her and ONLY THE POLICE COMMISSIONER CAN APPROVE SUCH EVENT.
“That same night, we started getting information that some APC leaders within the Alimosho LGA now know we are having this event and are planning to come attack us.
“It is hard to believe that having informed the police of our event, the information got to the opposition at the same time. It is the most dangerous situation one can imagine.
“Anyway, True to the Area Commander’s words, as at 4am the following morning, there are police vans and about 20 police officers stationed right at the entrance of the office.
“The office is in a business complex. This act did not only disrupt our event but frustrated other businesses in the complex.
“The police stopped us from holding our event but couldn’t stop thugs from entering the venue to destroy our properties and other valuables at the venue. We quickly decided to move to another venue at Egbeda. The Egbeda venue had two floors.
“The ground floor is used for church activities while our members were on the first floor. APC thugs arrived and began to attack the innocent worshipers downstairs with machetes and stole their phones.
“Again, they were not stopped yet we couldn’t hold our peaceful event. The News Central crew made this video at the front of the second event hall where the physical attacks took place at Egbeda.
“The event was to host about 500 people and at the end of the day, we had to call only the notable leaders of both the Labour Party and ADC to a more secured venue to hold the event.
“Till this moment, I still don’t understand why anyone would need the permission of a Police Commissioner just because you want to leave one party to join another one.
“Who is afraid of ADC? Why all these intimidation? The 2027 elections will see the end of APC in Nigeria and the heavens won’t fall.
“No amount of intimidation and attack can stop the ADC from ousting this evil party come 2027. That is a simple fact. We move.”