Police charge lawyer with abusing, defaming Governor Aiyedatiwa in Facebook video criticising Ondo’s budget

The police in Ondo State on Tuesday charged and arraigned a lawyer, Wale Odusola, for ridiculing and defaming Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State.

The charges stemmed from a video Mr Odusola posted on Facebook on 11 February, in which he criticised the Ondo State’s 2025 budget over poor allocation of infrastructure projects to his area of the state – Ilaje Local Government Area – the key oil producing area of the state, and where Governor Aiyedatiwa hails from.

Following the Facebook post, the police invited him for interrogation on Monday.

On Tuesday, they charged Mr Odusola with three counts of abusing, defaming and instigating public hatred of Governor Aiyedatiwa, and arraigned him before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Oke-Eda, Akure.

In one of the counts, the police accused him of causing Mr Aiyedatiwa “emotional and psychological abuse “ and exposing the governor to hatred and ridicule. The police said the defendant did this by posting on Facebook words accusing the governor “of failing to be parochial, neglecting his constituency and “insulting” the governor that he engaged in an extra-marital affair with the state’s finance commissioner, Wunmi Isaac.

In another count, the police accused him of injuring the governor’s reputation with the claims and exposing him to hatred, contempt and ridicule.

The police alleged in the third count that Mr Odusola circulated and published the video to the general public with intent of insulting the governor and exposing him to hatred and ridicule of the general public.

They brought the charges under section 15(1)(2) of VAP (a likely acronym for Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act) of Ondo State, section 373 of Criminal Code ofOndo State and section 24(a)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act of the Federation of Nigeria.

Mr Odusola pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday.

The police also brought an application for remand of the lawyer in Olokuta prison in Akure, but the magistrate granted him bail on self-recognition.

The court adjourned trial till 5 May.

Background

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the police came after Mr Odusola days after he posted a video criticising the 2025 Ondo State budget, alleging that it marginalised his community, Ilaje Local Government Area—the state’s primary oil-producing region.

Speaking his native Ilaje language in the video posted on Facebook on 11 February, Mr Odusola expressed disappointment over the allocation of infrastructure projects.

He said that while Owo, the hometown of the late former Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, received 12 projects worth approximately N3 billion, Ilaje was only assigned one road project valued at N100 million.

“Marginalisation is real, and calling it out is not a crime,” Mr Odusola said in the video. “We will not be silenced.”

He further argued that Governor Aiyedatiwa, being the first Ilaje indigene to be governor of the state in its 47-year history, had a duty to prioritise the development of the area.

He noted with concern that if Governor Aiyedatiwa failed to take advantage of his position as the first governor from the area, the Ilaje people may never have such a chance again.

Police invitation and arrest

On 15 February, Mr Odusola announced via another Facebook post that he had received a police invitation regarding a petition accusing him of conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

A letter signed by Adeganya Oyekanmi, the officer in charge of the Special Operations Squad, instructed him to report to the police office in Akure at 10 a.m. on 17 February.

“This office is investigating a case of conduct likely to cause breach of peace, which is a subject of petition in my office and your name was featured,” the letter read in part.

Although the petition’s author was not disclosed, Mr Odusola alleged that it was “not unconnected” to his video criticising the budget.

Opposition to cybercrime law

In the same video, Mr Odusola criticised a reported move by the Ondo State Attorney-General, Kayode Ajulo, to introduce a state-level cybercrime law.

“Those pushing for cyberstalking or cybercrime laws can proceed, but the people will not accept it,” he said, arguing that such legislation could be used to stifle dissent.

He described the move as an attempt to suppress freedom of speech, likening it to the federal cybercrime law, which has been used to prosecute journalists and activists in Nigeria.

“The same law that the federal government uses to silence critics is now being brought to Ondo State,” he warned.

Mr Odusola maintained that he had committed no crime, insisting that his statements were based on facts.

“We have a right to agitate against marginalisation—it is not a crime. The fact that Ilaje has been marginalised is a reality, and we have the right to speak out. That is freedom of speech. As long as I am not spreading falsehoods, I am protected,” he said.

Criticism

The case has drawn criticism to the governor, with a Lagos-based lawyer, Tope Temokun, who also hails from Ondo State, describing the charging of Mr Odusola on Tuesday as embarrassing.

He said it signalled a misplaced priority for the governor to be “so bothered about a criticism from a citizen” to quickly tool up the law “to stifle freedom of expression”.

He admonished the governor in a statement he shared on Facebook on Tuesday to acknowledge that since the assumption of that exalted office of the Governor of Ondo State, “your character has become a public property”.

He said the governor “must develop a thick skin if you don’t have one, for hot and unfriendly criticism from the people whose mandate you are holding.”

Defiantly, Mr Temokun said he and other lovers of the state would not leave the governor to run the business of the state by sheer wishes.

“We will put the governor on his toes every second for the task of good governance and for the good of our people,” the lawyer said.