“Let’s Take It As A Joke” — Police React To MC Oluomo’s Threat Against Igbo Voters

• MC Oluomo recently spurred controversy after a video showed him threatening Igbos planning to vote against his preferred party.

• The threat generated calls for the motor park chairman’s arrest from various quarters.

• The police have weighed in on the controversy, saying they are investigating.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Nigeria Police Force has dismissed the inciting comments credited to Musiliu Akinsanya, better known as MC Oluomo, as a joke.

A viral video had shown MC Oluomo, who is the Chairman of the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, threatening Igbos planning not to vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly polls.

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“Stay at home if you will not vote for APC,” he said, while suggesting that voting for an Igbo candidate in Saturday’s governorship election could make residents vulnerable to being used for rituals, although none of the candidates is Igbo.

The motor park boss consequently came under heavy criticism for trying to illegally influence the choice of voters.

In a subsequent video MC Oluomo released on Friday, he tried to clean up his earlier statement, saying his remark was a playful one and he was referring to a sister called “Iya Chukwudi” and not Igbos in Lagos.

Addressing the situation during an appearance on Channels TV on Friday night, police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, acknowledged MC Oluomo’s retraction, saying the threat to Igbo voters should be taken as a joke like he said.

Adejobi also stated that the Lagos State Police Command is investigating the matter.

“This evening, I think the person involved MC Oluomo – I saw the video again with the woman whose name was mentioned in the earlier video – debunking that the threat is not true and it was just a joke he was making with a particular woman and the woman too came up to say it was a joke,” he said.

“So, let us take it for a joke like he has said. But nobody has the right to tell Nigerians not to come out and vote. It is not allowed. It is not possible; not proper. But he has come out to debunk that it is not true.

“So, let us leave it that way – that it is not true and a joke within one or two persons in that area at that particular point in time. Even the CP of Lagos was on a television programme this afternoon to address that if it is true, they are investigating that matter.”

The police spokesperson urged Lagosians to disregard any form of threat and “come out to vote” in Saturday’s polls.

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“So, we should not be flogging it,” he said, maintaining that if the threat is true, the security agency is “capable” and “know what to do.”

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