The Nigerian police in Ogun State have been called upon, not to allow themselves to be used by the state governor, Dapo Abiodun to disrupt democracy in the state.
This was the position of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties in Ogun State over the N2 billion vote-buying allegations levelled against the state’s governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ladi Adebutu.
Recall that OsunDaily News reported on Wednesday that there might more trouble for Adebutu over the N2 billion voting-buying allegation levelled against him.
It was gathered from Premium Times that the Nigeria Police Force has submitted a report to the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), indicting Adebutu.
The Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Olademeji Yomi told Premium Times that “We have written our report and submitted it.
“The next step is for INEC and the Attorney General of the Federation to look into the report and determine how to proceed against the suspect.
“The investigator said Mr Adebutu had yet to honour their invitation to respond to the allegation.
“Obviously, we have written to invite him (Adebutu), he does not appear to be in a hurry to honour our invitation.”
Reacting to this development, the coalition of the political parties in the state which include the Social Democratic Party (SDP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), Allied People’s Movement (APM), Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT party), Labour Party (LP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Action Congress (AAC), All Peoples Party (APP) and National Rescue Movement (NRM) have come out in Adebutu’s defence.
According to them, the state governor, Abiodun and his party the All Progressives Congress (APC) are using the police to intimidate other parties and their candidates.
During a press briefing on Friday in Abeokuta, the state capital, the governorship candidate of the SDP in the state, Tony Ojeshina, who spoke on behalf of the rest said it would be of great use if Abiodun focused on the cases before the election petition tribunal rather than engaging in “cheap propaganda, media bullying and trial, rumour peddling and name calling.”
Ojeshina disclosed that the coalition is aware of how the governor is adopting all ways to distract attention from the petition at the tribunal.
He said “We want to urge the Nigeria Police Force not to allow themselves to be used as an instrument of cohesion and intimidation by Prince Dapo Abiodun with his expected numbered days as the Governor of Ogun State.
“We are advising Prince Abiodun to honourably find ways to defend the hard evidence against him and his party rather than engaging in cheap propaganda, media bullying and trial, rumour peddling and name calling of a man whose mandate he wants to dubiously steal.
“Since the time the petition was filed at the tribunal, Dapo Abiodun and his party have made frantic efforts to ensure that our candidate did not proceed with the tribunal and has failed in their several attempts to suppress Hon. Adebutu’s bid to recover the mandate of the good people of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and his party have now resorted to engaging in media trial, blackmailing, name calling and rumour peddling against our candidate.
“We are not unaware of the antics of Abiodun and his party APC’s deliberate effort to sway public attention away from his many unforgivable transgressions in the electoral process and also to cause a distraction for the tribunal through his consistent media trial and rumour peddling against our candidate, Adebutu.”
