Awolumate claims the video being circulated on social media was edited to suit the narrative of the commissioner
By Kehinde Okeowo
Olumide Awolumate, the embattled Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ward 1, Akoko South West Local Council Area, has refuted claims that he was the aggressor in the altercation between him and Ondo State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Olubunmi Osadahun.
A video had gone viral over the weekend where Awolumate, popularly known as ‘Cuba’, engaged in a free-for-all fight with the commissioner over the distribution of palliatives.
In the clips which lasted few seconds, the APC chieftain was seen hitting Osadahun with a chair which caused injuries to her body.
After the incident, several media outlets on Monday reported that the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu expressed displeasure over the assault on his Commissioner and vowed to bring Awolumate to justice.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, Akeredolu described the assault as an affront to the government and emphasized that acts of violence would not be tolerated by his administration.
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He vowed to utilize the full force of the law to ensure that the culprit is brought to justice.
“We remind the public that the Violence Against Persons Prohibition, VAPP, law prohibits all forms of violence against persons and provides maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishments for offenders.
“There are better ways to seek remediation or express concerns where necessary.
“In the distribution of palliatives, we will continue to do our best to reach the most vulnerable in our communities, and we ask for your understanding and support.”
However, the assault on the commissioner has sparked widespread condemnation from various quarters within and outside the state.
The man who was accused of assaulting the commission has taken to social media to narrate his side of the story.
According to Awolumate, the video being circulated was not the true story and it has been edited to suit the narrative of the commissioner.
He also insisted that his action was self defence as it was the woman and her son who first attacked him in his house after they initially disagreed at an earlier meeting.
Speaking in the now viral video, he said: “I was home playing Ludo with a friend, suddenly, I saw the woman accompanied by a policeman, her son and one other guy.
“Immediately they got to where I was sitting in my own house, her son pounced on me and started hitting me from all angles.
“I cannot fold my arms and see him doing that to me in the presence of my wife, my son and friend, I had to fight back. So, I stood up to fight him and as I was fighting him, his mother, the commissioner, joined and started tearing my clothes from the back.
In the process, she picked a chair and threw it at me, in retaliation, I took the chair and threw it at her. To my surprise, I started seeing video circulating, anybody that studied the video, will see that it has been edited. It was short, it was a planned work, they knew what they were coming to do in my house”.