Nigeria: IGP Refusing to Investigate Gov. Abiodun for Vote Buying - Adebutu

Mr Adebutu accused Mr Abiodun and APC of using the police to intimidate and harass him and PDP members in the state.

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has accused the Inspector General of police of refusing to investigate allegations of vote buying and electoral violence against Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Mr Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 18th March governorship election, beating Mr Adebutu to the secind position.

But the PDP candidate is challenging the outcome of the election at the tribunal.

However, the police last week charged Mr Adebutu before the Ogun State high court for allegedly buying votes in the election. The police said he is at large, in the suit which has nine other persons charged alongside Mr Adebutu.

But Mr Adebutu said his party had six weeks ago also written a petition to the Inspector General of Police, alleging that Mr Abiodun and the APC also bought votes and perpetrated electoral violence and intimidation of voters during the governorship election.

Mr Adebutu spoke through the media director of his campaign organisation, Afolabi Orekoya, in Abeokuta, on Wednesday.

He accused the governor and APC of using the police to intimidate and harass him and PDP members in the state.

Context

PREMIUM TIMES had exclusively reported how a police report indicted Mr Adebutu of using N2 billion to induce voters with Verve prepaid ATM cards loaded with N10,000 each.

This police report followed investigation of a petition by the state chairman of the APC in the state, Abdullahi Sanusi.

EXCLUSIVE: PDP chieftain in trouble as police uncover shocking N2billion vote-buying scheme

Acting upon the petition, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice charged Mr Adebutu and nine other persons associated with the PDP before an Ogun State High Court in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state.

In a separate suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, the government also charged Zenith Bank and two of its top officials for allegedly aiding Mr Adebutu to commit the alleged offense.

Nigerian govt. charges top politician for alleged vote buying during 2023 elections

But Mr Adebutu's aide in his statement alleged that Mr Abiodun and the APC also used N3 billion of public funds to induce voters and deploy thugs to disrupt elections in several parts of the state.

"We have petitioned the Nigerian police for the past six weeks, but we are surprised why the police has not opened up an investigation into our petition against Abiodun and the APC on the votes bought by them.

"It is everywhere in the media that Governor Dapo Abiodun induced voters with tax payers' money.

"This is why they are covering up all the shenanigans and they have not allowed the police to do their job.

"We are calling on the IGP to please in the interest of the good people of Ogun State allow this petition to see the light of the day, they should not cover it up, they should not suppress it.

"We know all the moves the Governor have been making to ensure that all these investigations are not being carried out.

"We are appealing to the IGP to speedily allow thorough investigation into how Dapo Abiodun used about N3bn of tax payers' money to buy votes in Ogun State with the help of One Card limited."

Reacting to the suit filed by the federal government against him, Mr Adebutu said he had not been served any court document regarding the suit.

He described the suit as an abuse of court process and a plot by Mr Abiodun and the APC to distract the tribunal from doing its job.

He also denied that he travelled out of the country to evade police arrest, saying he travelled on 25 April for medical check-up.

"We are just seeing it also in the media and I will just want to make some points clear. Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu has not been served with any court document as regards any charges expect for the media trial that we are seeing all around to mislead the public and the tribunal."

Contacted for reaction, the police spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was not aware of any petition by the PDP.

"I am not aware of any of such petition, when we get information about it we would react to it adequately," he said.

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