Governorship candidate of the African Action Congress in the forthcoming off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State, Kunle Ajayi Wizeman, has been arrested.
Wizeman was, on Saturday, arrested during a protest against bad governance in Akure, the state capital, alongside some other activists.
He and others were picked up by operatives of the Ondo State police command.
Other protesters arrested were identified as Patrick Owolabi, Oluwatobi Akinkuotu, Kolawole Kumuyi, and Olalekan Oladehinde, among others.
AAC governorship candidate had arrived at the popular NEPA roundabout with the other protesters when they were accosted by men of the Nigeria Police, who directed them to move to the Gani Fawehinmi Arcade Ground, the approved venue for the protest.
One of the protesters, Gbenga Ikujuni, said his colleagues were arrested while on their way to the arcade by the same team of police operatives who directed them to the venue.
An Ondo State-based lawyer and human rights activist, Tope Temokun who condemned the arrest, disclosed that the police were duly informed of the protest in a letter by the Take It Back movement, organisers of the protest.
Temoku urged Governor Lucky Ayedatiwa to order the release of the protesters, as they never constituted any threat to the cause of their civic action.
He said, “As of yesterday, a letter was submitted by the leadership of the Take It Back movement to the Nigeria Police in Akure, notifying the police of today’s protest and inviting the police for protection.
“This style of engaging citizens with deceit in civic engagement will not only lead to further loss of total trust and confidence in the police, it is very disgraceful and smacks of playing to the gallery to win an empty accolade from the government.
“The right to protest peacefully is still a right in the constitution and the police and the government do not have the powers to take what the constitution has given to the citizens. There is no food in this country, and the citizens are hungry. There is no job. There is no good road. There is no good health insurance or assurance. There is no security.
“The only thing Nigerian citizens can truly claim to have today is their right to their voice, right of expression and right to protest, and once the government reacts to the exercise of these rights with crackdowns, then this is an invitation to lawlessness, which will ultimately and inevitably reign when the citizens are pushed farther to the wall.
“The arrest that took place is highly condemnable and stands condemned. If the government has any evidence of violence from the protesters, it should come out with it.”
