Osun lawmaker drags constituents to police over alleged defamation

Months after he was accused of poor performance in office, a member of the Osun State House of Assembly representing the Oriade State Constituency, Kanmi Ajibola has petitioned the Nigeria Police against his critics.

Some of the legislator’s constituents in June, this year, called out Ajibola and accused him of underperforming since he was elected their representative in the parliament over a year ago.

The critics, including a journalist, Sodiq Lawal, Tunde Omole, and Ogunsanya Olasunkanmi, said to be a former chairman of the Oriade Local Government Area of the state, among others, had declared a three-day fasting and prayer session for the lawmaker which they said was aimed at seeking divine intervention to improve the legislator’s performance.

Lawal, in a statement on Thursday, disclosed that he has been invited to appear before the Zone 11 Police Command, Osogbo, following a petition filed by Ajibola.

According to Lawal, he received a call from a police officer named Alao on Wednesday morning, September 4, 2024, requesting his presence at the command.

In the petition, which also named two other individuals, Tunde Omole and Ogunsanya Olasunkanmi, the Chairman, House Committee on Judiciary, accused them of criminal defamation, and threat to life among other charges.

Lawal, however, clarified his position on the matter, stating that his involvement has been purely in response to public outcry over the alleged underperformance of Ajibola.

He noted that he had no personal or business relationship with the lawmaker, but only acted as a social critic and advocate for the people of the constituency.

Meanwhile, when The Guardian contacted the lawmaker on the telephone, he confirmed the petition, alleging that Lawal incited his constituents against him, threatened his life, and also defamed his character.

“The statement he (Lawal) issued today is a complete opposite of what he said that made me come up with this idea of writing petition,” the lawmaker said.

“As a journalist, you will write and report correctly, not that you will be inciting people against me. He went on three different radio stations, maligning my character, maligning my ability. 

“I did a petition because at a time, the way and manner I heard him speaking about me, it is getting to the verge of threat to life. God secures life but we have to take legal precautions and that was why I wrote a petition to the police on the ground of threat to life and criminal defamation. He is instigating my constituents against me. He went on three different radio stations. What are we pulling together? I never met him before in life and I don’t have any issue with him. 

“There are three people in the petition. There are one Lasun Ogunsanya, I understand that one is the APC chairman in Oriade Local Government and one Omole.”