From Laide Raheem, Abeokuta
It was another round of legal setbacks for the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, in the March 18 gubernatorial election, Ladi Adebutu, and his party, as the Ogun State Election Petitions Tribunal on Thursday dismissed their application seeking to strike out Governor Dapo Abiodun’s prayers establishing vote-buying allegations against them.
Previously, Governor Abiodun had made a strong allegation of electoral fraud against Adebutu and the PDP allegedly perpetrated during the March 18 governorship election in the state.
Meanwhile, the portion of Governor Abiodun’s response at the Tribunal, which specifically indicated the degree and effects of electoral fraud committed by Adebutu and the PDP, was unanimously admitted by the panel, against the application seeking to strike it out, giving the governor another victory in the ongoing legal proceedings.
Adebutu and PDP had argued that their petition did not include allegations of vote buying and so the governor’s defence should not also have included such allegations.
However, in its ruling, which was delivered by a member, Hon Justice JB Egele and supported by the Chairman Hon Justice H N Kunaza and the other member Hon Justice Sannusi Shehu, the Tribunal held that Governor Abiodun was not restricted to the same issues that Adebutu and PDP raised in their petition.
The tribunal further held that in any event, vote buying is in the same family as corrupt practices, which is the ground on which Adebutu and PDP filed their petition, and accordingly dismissed the application.
Following this ruling, Governor Abiodun is free to present evidence of vote buying by Adebutu and the PDP.