The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has accused the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, of shielding Governor Dapo Abiodun and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from vote buying and electoral violence during the last election in the state.
Adebutu said his party had six weeks ago written a petition to the IGP demanding the investigation of Abiodun and the APC over allegations of vote buying, electoral violence and voters’ intimidation during the election.
He expressed concern that the Police had failed to take any steps on the petition.
Daily Trust reports that Police had reportedly indicted Adebutu for alleged vote-buying to the tune of N2 billion during the March 18 governorship election.
This followed a petition written by the State Chairman of APC, Yemi Sanusi, against Adebutu.
Adebutu who spoke through the Media Director of his campaign organisation, Afolabi Orekoya in Abeokuta, on Wednesday, accused Abiodun and APC of using the police to subvert justice by intimidating and harassing him.
He accused Abiodun and the APC of using N3 billion of State fund to induce voters and thugs to disrupt elections in serveral parts of the State.
Adebutu said, “We have petitioned the Nigerian Police for the past six weeks, but we are surprise 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 against him at the High Court over alleged voting buying, Adebutu insisted that he was neither invited by the police nor served of any court document regarding the suit.
He described the suit as an abuse of court process and a plot by Abiodun and the APC to distract the Tribunal from doing its job.
He debunked the report that he travelled out of the country to evade police arrest, saying his travelled on 25th April for medical attention after the election.
“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.
“They (APC and Abiodun) are only trying to distract people and distract the judiciary from giving proper attention to the merit of the petition before them. They should allow the Tribunal to do their job, this is an abuse of court process, they should allow the Tribunal do their job and at the end of the day we will know who actually perpetrated vote buying or not.”
