Ogun PDP calls out police for allegedly hiding APC probe reports

Ogun State’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) claims the state police command is withholding information on an investigation into allegations that the All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in vote buying during the 2014 governorship election.

This was announced on Monday at a press conference held in Abeokuta by PDP Ogun Chairman Sikirulahi Ogundele.

Ogundele instructed Abiodun Alamutu, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, a 72-hour deadline to release the findings on the vote-buying allegation made against the incumbent party.

Adebutu’s attorney had petitioned the Inspector General of Police in June, claiming that during the governorship election, his opponent had engaged in vote-buying and electoral violence.

Ogundele stated at the press conference that the petition was originally filed during the tenure of the previous IGP, Alkali Baba, but was never resolved during his tenure.

The party’s chairman stated that the organisation has heard from reliable sources that the inquiry has been completed, but that the command is still refusing to release the results.

He revealed that the opposition party was aware that the APC “is putting unbearable pressure on and also threatening the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alamutu and his officers to allegedly suppress the release and distort the findings of the investigation ordered by the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Baba Alkali, based on the opposition party’s petition dated May 2, 2023.”

He said that the APC employed a firm called “One Card Nigeria Limited owned by Mr Tunde Odulaja” to buy votes with credit cards that had already been filled with billions of Naira.

In his view, the investigation was long since closed after police had questioned all relevant witnesses and collected all relevant evidence, but “yet the police have refused to submit and release the findings and report of the investigation.”

Ogundele, responding to the APC’s appeal filed against the PDP candidate, questioned the police for releasing the report so quickly “without interviewing or taking statements from those against whom the APC levelled allegations of vote-buying.”

Additionally, the PDP has accused the Federal Ministry of Justice of acting “in the most unprofessional manner and in a clear abuse of its prosecutorial powers with the charging of our governorship candidate, Adebutu and other supporters before the State High Court based on the incomplete and inchoate investigation report when they lacked the power under Section 145(2) of the Electoral Act 2022 to prosecute the electoral offence.”

“We give the Ogun State Commissioner of Police 72 hours to release the report of their investigation; otherwise, we will take action against him,” he said.

Ogun police spokesman Omolola Odutola was contacted for comment and stated she had no knowledge of the accusation.

I was completely unaware of this. This is something I have not been briefed on by my superiors. I’d rather provide my opinion on very horrible crimes or issues that DPOs in far-flung places can report on.

“I really don’t know what to say about this, I’m sorry. She thanked everyone for their patience in a statement.

Tunde Oladunjoye, the Publicity Secretary, responded by calling the allegations made by the PDP baseless.

“Stop wasting their time on a lost battle,” Oladunjoye said to the Ogun PDP and its governorship candidate, “and instead concentrate their energies and resources on defending themselves against the weighty criminal charges hanging over their necks, and to which many of their conspirators have confessed.”