12th August, 2010
A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Chief Abiola Ogundokun, who also is the publisher of Conscience International magazine, in an application filed before an Ikeja High Court, has urged the court not only to quash the criminal information filed against him, but to also set aside the bench warrant issued for his arrest.
Chief Ogundakun, in two separate averments, described the whole exercise of his alleged persecution as well calculated attempt to destroy him at all cost by his political opponents.
It was also averred that the whole exercise is an abuse of court process.
Chief Ogundokun was charged along with one Aramide Olufowobi, a staff of Branco Publishing Company in Somolu area of Lagos State.
In the statement of Aramide to the police on 23 April, 2009, he alleged inter alia, that during interrogation, he told his managing director that he gave a copy of the programme declaring Raufu Aregbesola governor of Osun State and programme of events to install him because he was mercilessly beaten to the point of death to implicate Chief Ogundokun.
It was further alleged that Branco Nigeria Limited published a publication in which Engr. Rauf Aregbesola was to be declared as the governor of Osun State, which he saw as treasonable and therefore demanded for a copy which he forwarded to the PDP in Osun State to determine what legal step to take, but only for his political enemies to turn around to accuse him to have conspired with Aramide to break and enter the office and stole a Plasma television.
Chief Ogundokun, who is currently in London for medical treatment, denied ever being served any court process as he was not at home, while the document was not brought to his notice and therefore, he couldn’t have disobeyed court’s order, he averred.