Wife of the detained chieftain of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Ondo State, Stella Orogbemi, has cried out that her husband is not a wife beater as alleged by his accusers.

The husband, Olabanji Orogbemi, who was allegedly arrested for criticising Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa over his alleged lack of performance in the last eight months in office.

Stella warned against further slandering of her husband’s personality.

In a statement issued in Akure, the state capital, the wife of the party Chieftain, frowned against tactics of the lawmaker representing Ilaje constituency 2 in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Olawunmi Fayemi, and the Chairman of Ilaje Local Government, Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, to defame her husband and tag him a woman beater.

While criticism have trailed the party Chieftains detention and arraignment, politicians in the state have alleged that it was politically motivated, aimed at silencing dissenting voices against the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmaker had accused Orogbemi of assaulting the council chairman, claiming that he did so because she is a woman.

While describing the allegations as false and spurious, the wife of the NNPP chieftain, in a statement she personally signed, said that Fayemi and Ogungbure lawmakers are bent on demonising her husband with the tag of woman beater due to his political beliefs and vocal stance against the APC.

According to her “I am Mrs. Stella Orogbemi, the wife of Mr. Banji Orogbemi, who is being intimidated, harassed, and oppressed by Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, the chairperson of Ilaje Local Government Area, and her cohorts in Akure, because of his political beliefs and membership in the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP.

“My attention has been drawn to a series of writeups on social media by various persons, including persons who called themselves the chairpersons of various LCDAs in Ilaje, as well as a video clip produced by Honourable Wunmi Fayemi-Obayelu alleging that my loving, gentle, easygoing, and amiable husband beat up the Chairperson of Ilaje Local Government Area.

“They all have taken turns to condemn the alleged act of brutality on Ms. Toyin Ogungbure by my husband on 02/09/2024 in order to demonise my husband, calling him a name that he does not bear.

“As a woman myself, I will not and cannot support an act of brutality on any person not to talk of being against a woman folk like myself.

“It is trite that “he who hears only one side of a story to judge a case is a wicked elder.” Looking at the age and the standing of the so-called chairpersons of the LCDAs, some of whom are grand fathers, they should have risen beyond the mundane level of hypocritical and sycophantic attitude they have exhibited.

” They should at least have investigated the case before jumping into their hasty judgement.

“The true story for those with objective, open, and unbiased minds is thus: On 02/09/2024, my husband went to a buckataria beside the Chicken Republic eatery in Igbokoda to purchase some food.

“At the buckataria he met the duo of Williams Ayerin and Ola Judah, who are cousins to Oba Williams Segun Akinyomi, the Amapetu of Mahin, a close ally of Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, the chairperson of Ilaje LGA.

“In fact, since Ms. Toyin Ogungbure had been announced as the chairperson of Ilaje LGA, the Amapetu, against the tradition of Mahin for women who are still menstruating to use any sacred items in use by the Amapetu, has allowed his SUV vehicle to be used by Ms. Toyin Ogungbure. Oba Williams Segun Akinyomi knows or ought to know that this act is sacrilegious.

“In the course of the discussions between these duos and my husband, which drifted to political issues, they accused my husband of dumping the APC with his boss, Hon. Olugbenga Oedema, the gubernatorial candidate of the NNPP, “after they had fed fat on the APC”.

“In the course of the argument, Ola Judah invited Ms. Ogungbure to the scene, who immediately she entered the buka, began to rain curses and all forms of oppobrium on Hon. Gbenga Oedema and my husband, calling him and Hon. Gbenga Oedema all manners of unprintable names.

“All through the course of the altercation, my husband did not leave the seat he was in; in fact, it was Ms. Toyin Ogungbure who agressed my husband by asking her police officer to arrest my husband after she had thrown a ceramic plate at him, which narrowly missed my husband.

“When Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, Williams Ayerin, and Ola Judah found out they could not intimidate my husband with the police orderly, they invited the Navy from the FOB, hoping to use the Navy to torture my husband.

“The navy, being a very professional outfit, refused to be used by Ms. Toyin Ogungbure and her cohorts to torture my husband after they had interrogated my husband, Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, and other persons who were at the buckataria, the scene of the incident, and found out that my husband had not done anything to warrant his being tortured.

“Because the Navy decided to be professional in their approach to the conflict, this did not go down well with Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, who insisted that my husband must be purnished at all costs.

“At Ms. Toyin Ogungbure’s insistence and using her position as the chairperson of the local council, my husband was reluctantly handed over to the police by the navy, but not after they had profiled the police officers who came to arrest my husband and let the police know that there was nothing to show that there was any case of assault. There is evidence to this fact with the Navy authority in Igbokoda.

“My husband was locked up in the police cell overnight like a common criminal, even when he could have been admitted to administrative bail by the police. This leaves much to be desired.

“Curiously, he was hurriedly hounded to the magistrate court the following morning, 03/09/2024, and before you could say “Jack Robinson,” he was denied bail by the magistrate and was remanded in the correctional centre at Okitipupa for one whole month for an offence for which even if my husband had been found guilty, he could not attract more than one month in jail or even the option of a fine.

“We want the whole world and the good people of Ondo State to determine who is bullying or harassing who.

“Honourable Wunmi Fayemi-Obayelu, in her video, alleged that my husband has been in the habit of harassing Ms. Toyin Ogungbure and other women in her constituency and Ilaje generally.

“This is the greatest degree of falsehood from an honourable member of the House of Assembly. These facts are from the pit of hell.

“My husband votes in Ode Mahin in Mahin ward I, and Ms. Toyin Ogungbure votes in Ogogoro in Mahin ward II. How did they meet for him to have beaten her to stupor? Even their voting centres are not the same location.

“Let the whole world ask Honourable Wunmi Fayemi-Annah and Ms. Toyin Ogungbure, who is Omonise Oyewole, with whom she had a serious altercation on the day of the presidential and national assembly 2023, when Omonise tried to stop Ms. Toyin Ogungbure from diverting the Indomine noodles and other materials meant for their polling unit in Ogogoro.

“Was it not how she tried to frame up the young man, claiming that the young man beat her to stupor for daring to stop her from diverting those materials to her private use?

“I call on well-meaning Nigerians, especially the women folks, to disregard the ranting of Ms. Toyin Ogungbure in trying to play the victim.

” In actual fact, she is the one who has been intimidating and harassing my husband. The naval officers at the FOB can testify to this fact.” (Vanguard)

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