By Tope Temokun
Now, after the governor’s official disownment of this formal complaint and the directive for termination of the criminal proceedings, we, as citizens and stakeholders in Ondo State, need to clarify some critical issues. Who woke up on the wrong side of the bed and presented an unauthorized petition to the police command, using the name of our governor and invoking the statutory investigative and prosecutorial powers of the police? This action nearly resulted in a lawyer being remanded, but for the judicial discretion of the presiding magistrate, who, recognizing the fierce legal representation, acceded to a noble request and granted bail to Barrister Wale Omolegbon Odusola.
Now that the governor has disowned that petition, it is vital to interrogate the process that led to this drama and ensure that we in Ondo State are safe from overzealous “unauthorized people” wandering the corridors of power, pretending to love the governor more than he loves himself. If we do not ask and answer this question today, we risk becoming potential victims of unauthorized use of government power tomorrow. There is a significant danger ahead. It suggests that small, intolerant, power-drunk political urchins around the corridors of power may pose as petty dictators, endangering our liberty as critical citizens. How many times must we wait for the governor’s disownment before we are assured that we have not lost our rights? The government must publicly and strongly take a stand against this unauthorized and reckless use of power.
We must trust the governor when he claims he did not authorize that petition; if we do not, then whom do we believe? Whoever used the governor’s name to incite state-wide frenzy on February 18, 2025, should not only be removed from his circle but also must publicly apologize, for that prank—if we now call it one—is too expensive to inflict upon us all.
After the release of Barrister Wale Omolegbon Odusola, who was arraigned before the Magistrate Court, Oke-Eda, Akure, on February 18, 2025, for posting a video on Facebook criticizing the governor’s project allocation, two official releases from the government of Ondo State were made to salvage the situation.
The first came from the desk of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, who disclosed that under the directive of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, his office has formally taken over the case of Commissioner of Police vs. Wale Omolegbon Odusola currently pending before the Chief Magistrates’ Court of Ondo State, Akure Magisterial District. The Attorney General announced that the state government’s decision to assume control of the prosecution aligns with its constitutional duty to uphold the rule of law while safeguarding citizens’ fundamental rights. He maintained that the Ondo State Government is committed to protecting free speech and ensuring that every citizen’s rights are respected, while also addressing deliberate falsehoods or defamatory statements that undermine the integrity of public office through due legal process.
In another release from the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, it was stated that the governor was made aware of the petition attempting to bring Barrister Wale Omolegbon’s Facebook criticism to serious scrutiny and prosecution for cyberbullying by the police authority. However, Governor Aiyedatiwa has no involvement in it. Furthermore, the governor did not commission anyone to petition the police against any citizen who criticizes him or his administration and has asked the Attorney General’s office to take over the case against Barrister Omolegbon and work towards dropping the charges.
The only honorable path appears to have been taken, with the governor’s directive for the immediate withdrawal of the charges before the situation escalates further (it is already messy).
However, the process will not end with the withdrawal of the charges. The integrity of the government, that of the governor, and the police have already come under scrutiny and compromise. Power should not be left carelessly in the government house without checks. Someone must be accountable for any form of abuse. Just as the deployment of police powers should not be treated lightly, as the liberty of citizens could be jeopardized when police powers are carelessly exercised. The unauthorized petition author, who claimed to act on behalf of the governor, has dragged the governor’s name into the court of public opinion and set the legal machinery in motion before the governor’s disownment, posing a potential danger to us all and the governor himself. This incident could also portray the police as an unserious institution that can simply accede to the request of any busybody at the mere mention of the governor’s name. This process almost caused a citizen and lawyer to lose his freedom. The author and the source of his authority should be investigated, and the public deserves to know the truth. There is a case of abuse of power here, which significantly tarnishes the integrity of the state government. This abuse must be thoroughly investigated.
We need to know the truth! Who authored the petition? And who authorized the author of the petition?
Tope Temokun, Lawyer and Human Rights Activist writes from Lagos
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