By Gbenga Ariyibi
The Deputy Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr Saliu Adeoti who was arrested, detained and later released by the police on Monday was whisked to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday, but the lawmaker has insisted that he was innocent of the allegation levelled at him.

Adeoti, who is an Action Congress (AC) lawmaker representing Moba 1, in the State House of Assembly had been declared wanted by the police in connection with his alleged role in the burning of the Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) office at Ido-Ekiti shortly after the recent gubernatorial re-run election in the state.

The lawmaker who spoke through phone with Vanguard yesterday said he was actually let-off the hook on the order of the acting Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Fabian Orjiri at about 6.45 p.m on Monday through the intervention of the AC’s legal team led by Mr Tony Adeniyi.

Adeniyi, Vanguard gathered, had armed himself with a copy of the court’s order of perpetual injunction restraining the police or other security agents from arresting or detaining the lawmaker more than 24 hours. The lawyer was said to have reminded the police boss of the subsisting court’s order.

Adeoti said he was asked to report at the police headquaters  the following morning, adding that he was at the police headquarters at about 8.am yesterday where he was told that he would be moved to Abuja for further interrogation.

The lawmaker was later moved to Abuja by a team of 6 plain clothes security operatives in a convoy of three vehicles, comprising two from the lawmaker and one Hilux van  owned by the police.

The Deputy speaker, who  has  fingered the PDP leaders in the state over his travail, said their motive was  to nail him at all cost and put him out of circulation. He, however, vowed not to be  intimidated with all the antics of his opponents.

“l am innocent of the accusation, moreso when l was at Ado Ekiti between 6p.m- 12 midnight on the day the INEC office was burnt, whereas,l gathered that the  place got burnt between the hours of 11 pm to 11.30.

“l can only plead with the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter at the end of the day, the truth  would prevail.

“The police should beam its searchlights on the PDP because I’m innocent of the accusation, he further declared.

“l perceive that the PDP is  playing another game, It want to put me out of the circulation because of my principled stand on matters affecting the state.’’

“There is no amount of  orchestrated plans to intimide,  harass, embarass or oppress me  would make me shift from my stand of defending the truth”, the lawmaker declared.

In his reaction, the acting police commissioner in the state,Mr Orjiri said the Deputy speaker was asked to be re-arrested by the order of  Inspector General of police, Mr Mike Okiro and asked to be  whisked to Abuja, saying the arrest of Adeoti has to do with the issue of election re-run, adding that the IG was personally handling the issue of election re-run in the state.