Defence
THE Chairman, Nigerian Legion, Lagos State council, Mr Akeem Wolimoh on Monday debunked allegations of a protest that took place at the Nigerian Legion office in Lagos last week Monday.
Wolimoh said that contrary to a report circulating online by peopleandpowermag.com, misinformed members of the legion only came to seek clarification of credentials regarding the elections for the Lagos state chapter of the legion.
“There was never any protest. What we had on November 2nd, 2026, was a gathering of some misinformed veterans in Lagos state that there was going to be verification of credentials of service documents at the Nigerian Legion Lagos office.
“The source of that misinformation came from a retired warrant officer and ex-service man, Philip Adedokun who is contesting against me for the position of chairman.
“So, he’s the one that misinformed the veteran community that there was going to be a verification exercise of service documents and later labeled it a protest,” the chairman said.
Wolimoh said that such directive to organise a verification exercise could only come from the national chairman based in Abuja to which Adedokun would not be privy to because he was not an executive of the council.
“So, when I heard about the gathering, I rushed down to the office to address our members and set the record straight regarding the misinformation.
“I had to put a call to the national chairman on the spot who clarified the air on the matter that she never directed for a verification exercise to hold on that date,” he said.
The chairman said that Adedokun went as far as slandering his name saying that he had misused funds generated from the sale of emblems and that he was not eligible to contest again having spent eight years in office.
“To set the record straight, every money that has been redeemed from the sale of emblems and other income generated has been put before the executives of the council to be deliberated on how such money should be used.
“Making such an allegation without substantial proof is a dangerous path that is not worth going down because of an ambition to become the chairman of the state chapter,” he said.
Wolimoh said that he was elected into office in 2022 and that having spent four years in office, has every right to recontest the position of chairmanship as stipulated in the Nigerian Legion Act, in the coming elections.
“Adedokun wrote a petition against me claiming that I had spent eight years in office as chairman and did not want to step down for others having elapsed my tenure.
“What he failed to understand is that I was chairman as Ojo local government area of the council for eight years but now I am the chairman for the state council in which I have only spent four years as state chairman.
“There is no where in the Act that says if you have spent eight years as local government chairman, you cannot spend eight years as state chairman, so, I am eligible to contest and will be contesting again,” he said.
According to the chairman, elections for the Nigerian Legion, Lagos State council was supposed to hold on Monday, Nov.9 but due to some technicalities, had been postponed to a later date to be communicated in future.
Wolimoh said that the purpose for which the legion was established was to foster comradeship among ex-servicemen and to promote the welfare of veterans and their families.
“So, anything that can jeopardise this purpose or lead comrades to fall into conflict among ourselves should be avoided.
“There is no need for us to fight ourselves for any reason because if you fight a leader of an organisation today because you want to be a leader, then you should be expected to be fought when you become a leader.
“And when that trend continues, then that organisation will never can never stand the test of time,” the chairman said.
He urged registered members to acquaint themselves with the Act and participate in the activity of the Nigerian Legion in their respective area councils so that they could be qualified to participate in other activities.
Tags: Nigerian Legion