Vote Buying: Police, NDLEA Present Evidence Against Adebutu

As governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State resumed proceedings on Tuesday, the Nigeria Police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), have released   multiple evidences against the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oladipupo Adebutu, on the allegation of vote buying.

The evidence was tendered through the counsel to the 2nd respondent (Governor Dapo Abiodun) Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN.

The documents include: reports from NDLEA, dated 18th March, 2023, in relation to possession of preloaded ATM cards with inscription of Mrs Caroline Adebutu, mother of the PDP governorship candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu.

All the documents were accordingly certified and tendered, after he had earlier prayed the court for 30 minutes to stand down to enable the second respondent to tidy up some issues.

Counsel to the petitioners, Gordy Uche (SAN), in his reaction objected to all the tendered documents, saying that there was earlier agreement among the parties during pre-hearing that a party seeking to tender documents must give the other side 24-hour notice before tendering the documents.

He stressed that the documents about to be tendered were never front-loaded in the petition, adding that two of the reports were just certified on Monday, 7th August, 2023.

He however, reserved his objection till his final address, including the WAEC certificate of the 2nd respondent tendered, as he prayed the tribunal for a two-hour stand down to study the documents accordingly, which was granted by the panel.

Counsel to the 2nd respondent, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) agreed with the counsel to the petitioner that a stand down was necessary to enable them study the documents but felt that 1 hour would be enough.

The director of All Progressives Congress, APC’s governorship campaign, Apostle Solomon Sanyaolu, later appeared before the panel after resumption, where he confirmed the WAEC result of Governor Dapo Abiodun to be original in line with paragraphs 86 & 87 of his statement of oath when cross examined by counsel to the 2nd respondent.