Ekiti APC Primaries: Rep Akinlayo Denies Sponsoring Thugs After Police Retrieve Guns

Gbenga Sodeinde in Ado Ekiti

In the run‑up to Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primary, tensions rose in Ekiti State after the arrest of 11 suspected political thugs who were said to be planning to disrupt the exercise.

Police said the suspects were linked to the sitting federal lawmaker Hon. Davidson Akinlayo, who has denied any involvement in the alleged plot.

The police described the incident as an attempt to destabilise the APC primary in the Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido‑Osi Federal Constituency. Operatives raided Onikoyi Hotel in Ikun‑Ekiti and recovered firearms, including pump‑action guns.

Commissioner of Police Mr. Falade Adegoroye Micheal paraded the suspects before journalists in Ado‑Ekiti, noting that the operation followed credible intelligence that armed hoodlums had assembled in the hotel ahead of the primary election.

According to the commissioner, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives stormed the hotel around 9 p.m. on 14 May, arresting seven suspects while several others fled in three vehicles.

The arrested individuals were identified as Adekunle Stephen, Adepoju Adebayo, Boluwaji Ishola, Oluwatobi Adeoluwa, Akintunde Emmanuel, Adewale Makanjuola and Ibitola Babatope.

Police recovered from the suspects two pump‑action guns, one Beretta pistol, nine rounds of 9 mm live ammunition, four live cartridges, substances suspected to be criminal charms, two Apple laptops and a Honda Accord vehicle allegedly belonging to one of the suspects.

A follow‑up operation intercepted an unregistered Toyota Sienna bus carrying four fleeing suspects—Abanikanda Sikiru, Dayo Ibijowo, Ajayi Dele and Adegbite Damola—and recovered an additional pump‑action gun.

Commissioner Micheal said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects had confessed to being political thugs recruited to disrupt the APC primary election.

He added that the suspects had linked Akinlayo, who represents the Moba/Ilejemeje/Ido‑Osi Federal Constituency and is seeking re‑election, to the operation.

The commissioner stressed that investigations were ongoing and assured that all suspects would be prosecuted once investigations concluded. Efforts were also intensified to apprehend the fleeing suspects and any alleged sponsors.

Responding to the allegations, Akinlayo denied sponsoring hoodlums to disrupt the exercise, calling the claim politically motivated and an attempt to tarnish his image ahead of the primary.

Speaking with journalists in Ado‑Ekiti, the lawmaker said only two of the arrested persons were known to him, identifying them as members of his media team.

“They said they went to that hotel and caught some people. It is only two people that I know among them — the head of my media team and my assistant media aide, Boluwatife Ishola and Babatope Ibitola. They are media professionals well known in Ekiti State and have never been involved in criminality,” he said.

Akinlayo maintained that none of the other suspects was from his federal constituency or worked for him.

“The rest that were arrested are well known in town. None of them is from my federal constituency, none works for me and I do not live in the hotel. I only lodged there briefly when my house was fumigated and had since returned home,” he added.

The lawmaker further alleged that some of those arrested were government appointees and “non‑state actors” working for interests opposed to his ambition.

Questioning the claim that he supplied weapons to the suspects, Akinlayo said: “How can they say I bought guns for people? Do I even own a gun? I had thriving businesses before joining politics. I am not a puppet.”

He also accused one of his opponents in the primary of attempting to intimidate voters and manipulate the process instead of campaigning across the constituency.

“My opponent is only eager to write results. He is not ready for the primary or the real contest. Democracy is government of the people, not an individual sitting comfortably at home and writing results,” he stated.