Politics

Ogun PDP, APC exchange words on alleged vote-buying

Published

10 months ago

July 18, 2023

NewsDirect

…Allegation against APC, Abiodun afterthought, baseless – Oladunjoye, APC Spokesman

…PDP gives 72hr ultimatum to Police

By Bankole Taiwo, Abeokuta

It has been a round of sizzling words exchange between the camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate in the last elections, Hon.Ladi Adebutu and the Ogun state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP had earlier accused the APC of vote buying during the last elections.

The party also alleged the reluctance of the state police command to release to the public the report of allegation of vote buying as levelled by the party against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the March 18 governorship election.

The Ogun State Chairman of the party, Hon Sikirulahi Ogundele adddresing journalists at the party secretariat disclosed that the opposition party gave the police 72 hours ultimatum to make public the report of the vote buying allegation against Gov Abiodun and the ruling party.

Hon Ogundele said that “in support of our petition and in addition to the evidence made available to the police by our party which have aided a thorough investigation of our petition, the police questioned enough witnesses, got facts and information which we believed to have enriched the report that had since been concluded yet the police have refused to submit and release the findings and report of the investigation”.

He said “Information at our disposal indicates that the findings clearly established the diversion of Ogun State funds for the purpose of buying votes to ensure the re-election of Dapo Abiodun, who was roundly rejected by the majority of the Ogun State electorate which led the governor and APC to resort to ballot snatching, poll disruption, destruction of electoral materials as well as physical attacks on supporters and sympathizers of our party, PDP”.

The PDP also faulted the Federal Ministry of Justice for allegedly conducting itself in a most unprofessional manner and in clear abuse of its prosecutorial powers with the charging of its governorship candidate, Adebutu and other supporters before the State High Court based on the incomplete and inchoate investigation report when they clearly lacked the power under Section 145(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 to prosecute elctoral offence.

When contacted for a reaction on the allegation, the Police Public Relation Officer for the Ogun State command, Omolola Odutola said, “This is a civil case, I honestly don’t know anything about it”.

The Spokesman of the APC in the state, Hon Tunde Oladunjoye however described the PDP allegation as nothing but laughable, tomfoolery, after thought and figment of imagination of the opposition party.

Speaking with our Correspondent, Hon Oladunjoye disclosed that rather than Hon Ladipupo Adebutu to come out from his hiding place and answer the charges against him, he was making baseless allegations.

Politics

OYO LGA election mockery of democracy – APC

Published

1 week ago

April 29, 2024

Anita Anyanwu

OYO LGA election mockery of democracy – APC

APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Olawale Sadare, in an interview on Monday in Ibadan, said that the election was ‘a script poorly written and poorly executed.

the results of the election announced by the Chairman of Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), Isiaka Olagunju, had indicated that PDP won the chairmanship and councillorship in all the 33 local governments in the state.

But, Sadare said it was regrettable that OYSIEC had made itself available for such manipulations.

While rating the election, Sadare said that it fell below standard and lacked any semblance of a real election.

He said that the state government just wasted the state resources and people’s time.

“As a party, we have done our part; the ball is now in the court of public opinion.

“I believe the general public will not want the situation to remain like this, in the interest of our state,” he said.

Sadare said that APC stakeholders would meet before the end of the week to review the exercise.

“Leaders in the APC in the state will soon meet to deliberate and take collective stand on the election.

“Whatever decisions we arrive at will be made available to the public,” he said.

Gov. Seyi Makinde, while commenting on the elections on Saturday, had said the security report about the elections had been excellent, indicating that it was violence-free.

He noted that his administration had successfully eradicated caretaker administration at the local government level, which had made people not to have a say in who should govern them.

The governor also urged people who might notice any untoward activity to report to relevant authorities for redress.

Politics

State Police: Giving governors power over security suicidal to democracy — APC Chieftain

Published

1 week ago

April 29, 2024

NewsDirect

By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna

A chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress, (APC), Professor Kailani Muhammad has said that to avail state governors the powers to control an entire state police as a sole authority, could be suicidal to Nigerian democracy.

This is as the chieftain noted with concern that some state governors attempt to use police to coerce the electorates during elections to toe their political paths during voting even when the police structure is not under their supervision.

Addressing a Press conference in Kaduna at the weekend, Kailani stressed that the discussions in the Nigerian political space, about the formation of a state police or not, do not merit attention of the Nigerian state at this moment considering numerous indications that the Nigerian state is not yet prepared for state police.

He further averred that some state governors are presently finding it difficult to pay civil servants salaries, adding that their mindsets are yet to adjust to the true principles of democracy, which is ‘the government of the people, by the people and for the people,’ according to Abraham Lincoln.

“There is a constructive argument that state governors might use state police to intimidate, blackmail and victimize Nigerians either for political, ethnic, tribal or social gains for themselves, to the detriment of the state. We cannot afford to copy the United States of America, Great Britain, Germany or any other country on the issue of state police, because we are not ready for it now.

“Another worrisome development is the fake fuel scarcity caused by petroleum products marketers. They have devised a cunning strategy to defraud and inflict hardship on the citizenry, by hoarding petroleum products, and damned the consequences on the citizenry.

“The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd), has come out categorically and assured Nigerians that there is enough petroleum products to service Nigeria for a long time to come.

“Those behind this manufactured fuel scarcity should be fished out and sanctioned accordingly, to serve as a deterrent to others. This country belongs to all of us. We must collectively work hard to salvage it together and so, I am passionately appealing to our able President, Alhaji Bola Tinubu, to consider APC Support Groups for appointments to prepare them for mobilising their members as 2027 draws closer,” he said.

Politics

BREAKING: Agboola Ajayi wins Ondo PDP primary

Published

2 weeks ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

The former deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the November governorship election.

He polled 264 votes at the party primary, beating his closest rival, a former member of the House of Representatives, Kolade Akinjo, who got 157 votes.

Details shortly.