By Olalekan Adetayo
Published: Monday, 30 Jul 2007

Specifically, Adedipe said the elders prevailed on him to make confessional statements to the police in order to make Nigerians believe that the former governor was responsible for the killing of a governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Dr. Ayo Daramola, and an attack on a former Executive Chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government, Mr. Taiye Fasuba.

But, in her reaction to the development, Daramola‘s widow, Kehinde, said she had left everything to God who would fight for her.

”I am leaving everything to God. I don‘t want to get involved in all this. I don‘t even know this Adeniyi Adedipe you are talking about…I am not a politician and I don‘t want to get involved. I believe that my God will fight for me,” she said.

Adedipe, who was one of the personal aides to Fayose‘s Chief of Staff, spoke and made available to journalists in Lagos a 23-paragraph affidavit he swore to at the Lagos High Court to back up his confession.

The OPC leader, who spoke in the presence of his lawyer, Mr. Segun Arowoyele, said, ”The time has come for me to set my conscience free from the burden of evil and malice for which I have involved myself with some powerful individuals in Ekiti. It is without doubt that Governor Ayo Fayose offended some of us and some leaders with which I pitted my tent and we agreed to deal with him.”

He alleged he was taken to the Presidency where he was told that the attacks on Daramola and Fasuba were opportunities to ”influence, intimidate and manipulate” the state House of Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against the former governor.

He said he was advised by some officials in the Presidency to present some members of the OPC who would give statements to the police that he and Fayose conspired with them to carry out the nefarious acts.

This, he added, was done with an agreement that the OPC members would be released from police custody and the case closed immediately after the ex-governor was removed.

Adedipe added that it was in the light of the agreement that he contacted these OPC members — Akinwale Fadairo, Babatunde Adebayo, Dele Ogunleye, Ariwajoye Francis, Ajayi Ola, Adedomi Odunayo and Deji Abegunde.

These OPC members are currently standing trial for attempted murder at the Ekiti State High Court.

He said he was shocked that contrary to their earlier agreement, after the removal of Fayose, Adebayo, Ogunleye, Francis, Ola, Odunayo and Abegunde were charged to court for attempted murder.

He said that when he and an elder of the state approached the police management on the issue, a former police officer said that ”there was pressure from Ekiti people” and as such, he could not ask that they be released.

Adedipe said that having handed over the case to the state government, the government wanted him to be its star witness and establish that Fayose conspired to attack Fasuba in a case pending at the Ekiti State High Court.

The OPC leader insisted that Fayose did not at any time conspire with him to attack Fasuba and Daramola.

He said that Fasuba confirmed during a parade of the OPC members in Abuja that none of the men paraded was part of those who attacked him.

He vowed to mention venues of meetings and individuals present at every meeting if there was any denial of the confessions he made by the police because ”I can‘t die of this guilt without confession.”

He apologised to the people of the state for the role he played in the crisis.