Members and supporters of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday poured into the major streets of Ilorin, the Kwara state capital to protest the recent redeployment of Kayode Egbetokun as the new Commissioner of police to the state.
They took the peaceful protest from the party secretariat located at the Flower Garden area of the metropolis to the Government House, the state Department of State Service (DSS) office and terminated it at the state police headquarters, along Ahmadu Bello way.
The protesters claimed they were venting the anger peacefully against the police high command for posting of Mr. Egbetokun to the state ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
The protesters, led by PDP Youth Leader in the state, Prince Haliru Dantsoho, wielded placards with various inscriptions calling for Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu and President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse the decision.
Some of the placards read: “CP Kayode must go,’ ‘Kwarans totally reject an APC commissioner,’ ‘Kwara cannot be annexed to Lagos.’”
Dantoso, who said the people had never protested against deployment of any police commissioner to the state, added that the new CP posed threat to peace in the state.
According to him: “Egbetokun was one- time chief security officer. (CSO) to the APC leader, Senator Bola Tinubu. Also, he was
spontaneously rejected by people of Lagos when he was posted there recently and the deployment was reversed by the acting IGP, Mohammed Adamu.
“Unfortunately, the same man, who parades himself as APC member has now been posted to Kwara state.
“It’s a ploy to further intimidate the opposition. You recall how members of opposition were arrested, harassed during by-election into Ekiti Oke Ero Isin Irepodun federal constituency recently.
“So, with the deployment of Egbetokun, free, fair and credible elections cannot be guaranteed.
“It’s on this note we frown at the deployment, calling on IGP to immediately redeploy him to other states of their wish and not Kwara state.
“Kwara has been a peaceful state of harmony since. We don’t want anything that will affect the peace and harmony we’ve been enjoying.
“So, we call on Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, law enforcement agencies and all stakeholders concerned to consider our request and reverse the deployment to Kwara state.
“Considering the threat by some APC leaders like Adams Oshiomhole and Alhaji Lai Mohammed to deploy all available resources including security agencies, INEC to ensure they take over power from PDP government administration this deployment of Egbetokun is a confirmation of their threat.”