Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has asked the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, to do the most honourable thing by submitting himself to security agencies over the allegations of electoral fraud levelled against him.
The party was reacting to a statement in the media credited to Adebutu, where the PDP candidate raised issues concerning the gubernatorial election in the state.
Recall that Federal Government had already filed charges of vote-buying, money laundering and other electoral offences against Adebutu and others before the Federal and Ogun State High Courts in Abeokuta.
But Adebutu claimed the lawmaker representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Daniel and others were involved in the electoral malpractices.
However, Ogun APC, in a statement issued on Saturday by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Olusola Ogunsanya Blessed, said Adebutu’s statement was laced with intent to cover up certain atrocities and change the real narrative.
The party also advised Adebutu to stop giving false hope to his followers, insisting that his alleged offences during the poll would be pursued to a logical conclusion in the competent court of justice.
It added that going by the tone of Adebutu’s statement, Daniel must have been “embarrassed by the exposition of their alleged shenanigans and conspiracy during the last general elections.”
“While Adebutu, in his impoverished piece dripping with vile abuse, failed woefully to defend the fact that Gbenga Daniel, against good conscience, worked for him and his party, the PDP, and betrayed the party that gave him a ticket and even sponsored him to emerge as a Senator, he tried to be clever by half by denying the allegation of bribery levelled against the former Ogun governor with overwhelming evidence.
“For every discerning political watcher, it is crystal clear that Adebutu and Daniel were seriously embarrassed by the exposition of their atrocities in the public glare, and so the bribery, criminal conspiracy and money laundering suspect currently hibernating in a foreign country resorted to defending the indefensible and further exposing the astounding degree of moral decadence and perfidy that defines their relationship.
“It is even more childish for the PDP guber candidate to ignorantly mention his father and Gbenga Daniel as benefactors of Governor Dapo Abiodun, astutely elevating gossip and clueless innuendos as tools of public engagement.
“On the issue of performance and reelection of Governor Dapo Abiodun, it is surprising that a man like Oladipupo Adebutu could accuse any government of non-performance and corruption, when he lacks the intellectual stamina to do a thorough assessment of government policies and activities,” Olusola said.
He further accused Adebutu of stooping so low to be involved in alleged electoral malpractices, money laundering and brazenly compromising the electoral process.
Olusola added that Governor Dapo Abiodun had the people solidly behind him and had since settled into governance, urging Adebutu to summon courage and come back home to face justice.
