Honourable Ayo Alli-Balogun, who was alleged to have led a gang of thugs to attack Honourable Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, the Lagos APC Women Leader, at the party’s secretariat office on Acme Road, Ikeji, has pooh-poohed the reports.

Alli-Balogun, a former model is a staunch supporter of Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson, the APC South West Women  Zonal Leader. She accused Okoya-Thomas of igniting the spark which resulted in the fiasco.

Below is the unedited text of her statement

“I feel I owe it to you all to give a summed up
explanation on what happened on 27th August 2018 at the All Progressives Congress state party secretariat.

For a while now, Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas (APC Lagos state women leader) has been on a war path with APC South-West Women Leader, Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson. For reasons best known to her.

I, Ayo Alli-Balogun became aware of Hon Jumoke’s detest for her superior and South-West Women Leader of our great party All Progressives Congress at the final mega campaign rally of HE Fayemi days before the Ekiti state gubernatorial elections 2018. At the rally, Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas out of nowhere and no provocation started raining insults on Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson that she Hon. Jumoke was not allowed onto the VIP pavilion of the event. Whilst Hon. Jumoke was raining her insults she saw me and immediately verbally attacked me calling me “aja Kemi Nelson” Kemi Nelson’s dog! I ignored her and proceeded to my seat.

Hon. Jumoke Okoya-Thomas, attack on my person came to a head on Wednesday 22nd August 2018 at the country home of Lagos state Governor during His Excellency’s sallah gathering. Hon. Jumoke accused me of staring at her and threatened to deal with me. The shocking thing about her utterances was at no point did I have any close contact with her; not to say I attempted any form of attack on her. The worrying bit about her utterance and action is Hon Jumoke seem to be clairvoyant and can see things that don’t exist.

Madam Jumoke was seated about 15 huge tables away from where I stood with Lagos state Commissioner of Police to receive His Excellency who was making the rounds greeting and taking pictures with guests. I noticed madam Jumoke’s visible agitation as she wagged her hand toward my direction in a threatening manner when she said “you are staring at me! I would deal with you!!”

Naturally, I was shocked by Madam Jumoke’s conduct so I informed party leaders present. They promised to look into the matter and asked that I go on with my dancing.

However, I thought it imperative to notify APC state chairman of my experience at the hands of Madam Jumoke Okoya-Thomas during the sallah gathering of the governor’s. I visited the State party chairman on Thursday 23rd August 2018 but he had left, I called and booked an appointment for Monday 27th August 2018 to which the party state chairman agreed.

On the fateful day, I went to the state chairman in company of three senior women of the party to inform him of Hon. Jumoke’s threat to deal with me.
As fate would have it, I was informed that state chairman was in a meeting. While waiting, Hon. Jumoke exited the chairman’s office and later returned to the office about 10mins later. All this while I was at the reception area of the chairman’s office with the three women who accompanied me there.
After waiting for an additional 30mins I decided to leave as it was apparent Madam Jumoke was going to be in the office for a long time.
◦ On my way to the South-West Women leader’s office within the party, I was apprehended by Hon. Jumoke’s PA (Alhaja Biodun) and her police orderly. They both descended on me with slaps, blows and lashes from a horse whip welded by the police orderly attached to Hon. Jumoke. I naturally attempted to defend myself and extracted myself from the stronghold of the vicious Alhaja Biodun. I then returned to the chairman’s to show him my battered face, body and clothes.
◦ About an hour later in Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson’s office in the presence of Deputy and Vice Chairman of the party. Six hefty fierce looking men in black Tee-shirts with scorpion drawn on them bursted into the South-West Women leader’s office. They told us they are from Lagos island and have been directed to kill Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson and I.
◦ Jumoke Okoya-Thomas at some point during the assault came into Chief Mrs Kemi Nelson’s shouting that “Kemi Nelson is in the toilet, she must be killed! Once she’s killed her followers would disperse” in Yoruba.
◦ The armed men beat up everyone found in Chief Kemi Nelson’s office.
◦ The most horrifying bit is the stabbing of Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson’s Chief Security Officer for not telling them (cultists) were Chief Kemi Nelson and I were.
◦ Every equipment found in Chief Kemi Nelson’s party office were destroyed!
◦ We were rescued by the Nigeria Police force about an 1hour later
◦ Whilst Madam Jumoke Okoya-Thomas was speaking to the police area commander who visited the party secretariat; she was quoted to have said to the commander “she was fighting for her right”, “she admitted inviting the armed men in black Tee/shirt with scorpion drawn on the back and refused Alhaja Biodun to be interrogated by the police at the party state secretariat.
◦ I am immensely grateful to God for sparing Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson, women of the team and I our lives.

◦ Ayo Alli-Balogun is a Human Development Consultant and Politician. An All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart and loyalist. A mentee of Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson