A member of the House of Representatives and Director-General of the Osun State Governorship Campaign Council, Oluwole Oke, has denied allegations linking him and the All Progressives Congress to the death of an Accord Party member, Ajayi Aderogba, popularly known as Rogba.
Aderogba was shot dead on Tuesday in Esa Oke, Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, during preparations for a political rally in support of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s second-term bid.
The spokesperson for the Adeleke Campaign Organisation, Pelumi Olajengbesi, had in a statement posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday, accused the federal lawmaker of being behind the attack that led to Aderogba’s death.
Olajengbesi alleged that Oke had attempted to frustrate the planned political event in the community.
“Just yesterday, while we were preparing for a political programme in Esa Oke, Wole Oke made several efforts to frustrate the programme and prevent it from holding,” he alleged.
He described the deceased as a committed supporter of Governor Adeleke and the Accord Party.
However, Oke, through a statement on Wednesday issued by his media aide, Tunde Omolebi-Sunday, dismissed the allegations and described attempts to link him and the APC to the incident as false and misleading.
The lawmaker expressed shock and sadness over Aderogba’s death and extended condolences to the deceased’s family, friends and residents of Esa Oke.
He also criticised Olajengbesi for making what he described as unverified allegations before the conclusion of investigations.
“Such conclusions, made without any credible investigation or report from security agencies, are not only premature but deeply irresponsible. As a legal practitioner, he ought to understand the primacy of evidence, due process, and responsible public communication,” the statement said.
Oke maintained that neither he nor the APC had any connection with the incident and called for an impartial investigation by security agencies.
“We therefore firmly state that Hon. Oluwole Oke and the APC have no connection whatsoever to the death of Ajayi Rogba. Any attempt to link them to this tragic occurrence without substantiated evidence is false, misleading, and must be rejected,” the statement added.
The lawmaker urged the police and other relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the killing.
According to the statement, preliminary accounts from the community suggested that the incident may have stemmed from clashes involving rival groups, with indications of possible reprisal attacks, although it stressed that only a proper investigation could determine the facts.
Oke also called on political actors and residents to allow security agencies to carry out their duties professionally and avoid making statements capable of escalating tensions.
The statement further urged all stakeholders to respect due process and refrain from politicising a matter involving loss of life.
“It added that matters of life and death should not be trivialised or reduced to political tools,” the statement said, while calling on residents to recommit themselves to peace, truth and lawful engagement.
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