The Ekiti State Government has denied allegations by African Action Congress presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, linking it to an attack on him and members of his team at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, insisting that it had no involvement in the incident and calling for a thorough police investigation.
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Sowore was attacked on Friday, October 30, 2026, at a food outlet in the Ekiti State capital, with reports indicating that he and some members of his entourage sustained injuries during the incident.
In a statement issued on Saturday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olayinka Oyebode, the state government dismissed allegations that it sponsored the attack.
The government said it would ordinarily have ignored the allegation, which it described as unfounded, but considered it necessary to set the record straight.
It noted that both the organisers of the Ikogosi Marathon and the Ekiti State Police Command had issued statements concerning the incident and said the task of determining exactly what happened should be left to the appropriate authorities.
The government described as absurd the suggestion that an administration which it said had presided over peaceful political activities in the state would organise an attack on a presidential candidate.
It consequently dissociated itself from the incident and urged the police to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack, identify those responsible and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
The state government also reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining Ekiti’s reputation as a peaceful state where the rule of law, democratic principles and tolerance of differing political opinions are respected.
The denial followed allegations by Sowore that the attackers were politically connected and that the state government was behind the assault, an accusation the government has now expressly rejected.
Recounting the incident during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, Sowore said about 20 suspected thugs descended on him at a restaurant in Ado-Ekiti, where he had gone with members of his team.
“They beat me like a criminal,” Sowore said, alleging that the attackers were armed with sticks and bottles and threatened to kill him if he returned to Ekiti.
He said he sustained injuries during the attack and subsequently received medical treatment.
Other accounts from Sowore’s camp said members of his security team were also assaulted during the incident.
Sowore further alleged that surveillance cameras at the restaurant captured the incident and claimed that security agencies later took possession of the CCTV equipment.
His team has demanded that any surveillance recordings connected with the incident be preserved and subjected to independent forensic examination, arguing that the footage could help identify those responsible for the attack.
The allegations concerning the CCTV equipment and the role of security personnel have not been established by an independent investigation.
The Ekiti State Police Command, however, gave a different account of the incident, describing it as an altercation at the restaurant.
According to the police, operatives responded to a distress call, intervened and took Sowore and other affected persons to the Police Cottage Hospital in Ado-Ekiti, where they received treatment before being discharged at about 4:30 p.m.
The Commissioner of Police, Falade Adegoroye Michael, has ordered an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those involved.
Sowore has rejected the police description of the incident as an altercation, maintaining that he and his team were victims of an organised attack.
He also alleged that operatives of the State Security Service were connected with events surrounding the attack, including monitoring his movements and handling potential CCTV evidence. Those claims remain allegations pending investigation.
The incident has also generated controversy surrounding the Ikogosi Marathon, which Sowore had travelled to Ekiti to participate in.
Organisers subsequently barred him from the 17.5-kilometre race, citing security concerns and the need to preserve the political neutrality of the event. Sowore rejected their position and accused the organisers of complicity in events surrounding the attack.
Despite the assault, Sowore said he would not be intimidated from continuing his political and advocacy activities.
The controversy has prompted calls from the AAC, the Take It Back Movement and other groups for an independent investigation into the attack and the allegations surrounding the involvement of security personnel.
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