APC governorship aspirant pleads not guilty as court fixes July 28 for further hearing amid competing claims over her arrest and allegations of political persecution

APC governorship aspirant Abimbola Olajumoke Olawumi was granted Olawumi bail by an Ekiti State Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ado Ekiti on Thursday, July 23, 2026, after she pleaded not guilty to four charges involving alleged blackmail, false accusations and threatening messages directed at YSJ Farms Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Yemisi Samuel Joluwe, and two others.

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Chief Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun admitted Olawumi to bail on self-recognition, citing her status as a senior citizen, before adjourning the case until July 28 for further hearing.

“The matter is hereby adjourned till July 28, 2026 for hearing,” Adeosun said.

The ruling brought a brief measure of relief to Olawumi after a tense sequence of events that began with her reported detention in Abuja and quickly developed into a wider dispute involving the police, her political opponents and the Ekiti State Government.

The police accused the APC politician of making an allegedly false claim that Joluwe had embezzled Ekiti State Government funds.

The allegation, according to the charge sheet, was made without justification and constitutes an offence under Section 106 of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State 2021.

The prosecution also alleged that Olawumi used Facebook and TikTok to publish the photographs and addresses of Joluwe, Mr Adeleke Ajibade and Mrs Okewale Olayemi alongside threatening messages.

The allegation is said to relate to events in March 2026 and was brought under Section 398 of the Ekiti State Criminal Law 2021.

Olawumi denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

Her lawyer, Mr Odunayo Okunade, urged the court to exercise its discretion in granting bail, arguing that the offences were bailable.

“They are all bailable offences, and this court is empowered to grant these types of prayers,” Okunade said. “She is a senior citizen of this state and was one of the contestants for the office of the governor in Ekiti State. We urge the court to grant her bail.”

The prosecution did not oppose the bail application, according to a report by The Nation, allowing the court to admit Olawumi on self-recognition.

The court proceedings followed an emotionally charged account by Olawumi, who alleged that she was taken into custody by men of the Rapid Response Squad from the Ekiti State Police Command while travelling from the Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court in Abuja on Wednesday.

She described the incident as an “abduction” and said the officers told her they were taking her to the nearest police station, but instead transported her to Ado Ekiti.

“They said they were taking me to the nearest police station, but they did not stop at any of the police stations until we got to Ado Ekiti,” Olawumi said.

She further alleged that the criminal complaint was connected to a separate civil dispute already before the Federal High Court in Abuja, while the criminal aspect was being investigated by the Inspector-General of Police.

Olawumi accused the Ekiti State Government of victimising her and her family, and appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians to intervene.

“I’m appealing to Nigerians and to everyone, even to President Bola Tinubu, that they should please have mercy and save me from the government of Ekiti State which has been intimidating and harassing my family and me,” she said.

Her lawyer, Okunade, similarly described the case as political persecution and what he called executive recklessness, while calling for Federal Government intervention.

The Ekiti State Government, however, has firmly rejected any suggestion that it played a role in Olawumi’s arrest or detention.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Dayo Apata, SAN, said the government neither ordered nor had prior knowledge of the police action against the APC politician.

“The Ekiti State Government categorically denies any involvement in the alleged abduction or police arrest or detention of Mrs Abimbola Olajumoke Olawumi,” Apata said in a statement.

He added that law enforcement agencies operated independently and were not under the control of the state government, urging the public and media to disregard claims linking the government to the arrest.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a prolonged legal battle over the APC governorship primary in Ekiti State.

Olawumi had challenged the process that produced Governor Biodun Oyebanji as the party’s candidate for the June 20, 2026 governorship election.

In June, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed Olawumi’s challenge, holding that her appeal was incompetent because of issues surrounding the filing of her brief.

The appellate court also upheld Oyebanji’s candidacy and ruled in a cross-appeal that the lower court was wrong to classify Olawumi as an aspirant under the relevant constitutional and electoral provisions. (ekitistate.gov.ng)

The latest criminal proceedings have therefore unfolded alongside an already contentious political and legal history, adding a fresh layer to tensions within the ruling party in Ekiti.

For now, the immediate legal focus has shifted to the Chief Magistrates’ Court, where Olawumi is expected to return on July 28.

The allegations against her remain unproven, while her claims of political victimisation and the government’s denial of involvement remain sharply opposed positions.

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The next hearing is expected to provide a clearer picture of how the four-count case will proceed as the competing narratives surrounding the arrest and subsequent prosecution continue to attract attention.