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In an unexpected development, the Ogun State Police Command has summoned Ladi Adebutu, the PDP’s candidate for the 2023 governorship election, to appear at the command’s headquarters in Abeokuta for questioning. This invitation raises questions about the ongoing investigations in the state and Adebutu’s potential involvement.
It is important to note that the invitation extended to Ladi Adebutu has no ties to the alleged disturbances that occurred during the local government elections on November 16, 2024, in which the All Progressives Congress (APC) claimed victory in every contested seat. The police have assured the public that this issue is independent of any election-related incidents.
While the Command has yet to officially confirm the development, there are widespread reports indicating that Ladi Adebutu is currently being detained at the Police Command headquarters in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State. These reports have raised questions regarding the nature of his continued custody.
The allegations against Ladi Adebutu include the recruitment of roughly 40 unauthorized police officers from Lagos and his involvement in coordinating with PDP-affiliated thugs to intentionally disrupt the local government elections, an action that has drawn significant attention.
This recent invitation follows closely on the heels of an interrogation by the Department of State Services (DSS), who quizzed the PDP governorship candidate just the day before, hinting at the deepening inquiry into his involvement in the electoral disturbances.
Upon his release on Tuesday, Adebutu described the allegations as baseless and the arrest as an attempt to silence him.
“It was about 7 am, Tuesday, 19th November 2024, I was released by the Department of State Services in Abeokuta following an invitation to answer to various spurious accusations all arising from the November 16 Local Government election in Ogun State,” Adebutu said in a statement he personally signed.
“Very sadly, the allegations were so baseless that it became clear that their purpose was to silence me as a voice of the opposition. My contention that those elections were not free and fair is my fundamental right to free speech and free thought,” he said
“My thinking that the Local Government should have financial Autonomy that can only be enforced by free and fair elections is germane to our development. Mr President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, shares the same view as mine which shows it is not a partisan position but a nationalistic one.”
