By Wole Adepoju
Not many will disagree that the just concluded 2023 general election was one of the most anticipated general election Nigeria ever had, and this had to do with a number of factors, which included the fact that an unusual political giant, who unarguably is the biggest politician in the country, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was on the ballot as a presidential candidate. Equally, the unprecedented factor of a third force in the history of Nigeria’s election, at least at the presidential poll, as made possible by Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi.
While the populace was anxious about the presidential race, gaze was on also fixed on the governorship contest of some states based on their peculiarities, one of which is the Gateway State, Ogun, where the incumbent, Prince Dapo Abiodun was seeking a re-election against a coalition of opposition forces.
Within the incumbent Dapo Abiodun’s All Progressives Congress, APC is also an undermining force led by his predecessor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, who formed an alliance with Tunji Otegbeye, candidate of the ADC. But of course, it was not regarded a serious threat for the alliance was considered more like a mere conspiracy of mosquitoes against a highly effective insecticide. What was however considered a real threat was that of the Peoples Democratic Party. Again, it was not really about the said political party but its flag bearer in the person of Ladi Adebutu, who was banking greatly on his family’s financial muscle to ensure he became the governor of Ogun State.
With the background story of how Adebutu allegedly deployed money to induce everyone that matters, from the party’s national headquarters, to the state in order to hijack PDP in Ogun state and went ahead to force himself as the party’s governorship candidate in the state against the interest of party members and hierarchy, could not be taken for granted. More so that his ambition was believed to be more of an ego thing for the stupendously wealthy Adebutu family who wish to compliment it with political power through their son, Ladi. Therefore, he was believed to have had a resolution to achieve his governorship ambition by all means possible, but majorly through deployment of the family’s financial arsenal, having been tested and its efficacy confirmed through how he allegedly secured his gubernatorial ticket in PDP.
For the governorship election in Ogun state which was majorly between Prince Dapo Abiodun of the APC and Ladi Adebutu of the PDP, the people of Ogun State have spoken loud and clear that they want Dapo to continue with his transformational job in the state, as they voted him for another term, thereby defeating his arch rival, ‘Lado’, as the roundly built defeated candidate of the PDP, Ladi, is fondly called.
Of course, Ladi has been all over the place screaming foul of Dapo’s victory, even as he’s claiming to be the rightful owner of the electoral victory. He’s led protest to the INEC office in the state just as he’s made use of other channels to vent his displeasure at the outcome of the election he found disappointing based on how much he illegally committed into the election.
Meanwhile, pundits have continued to hail the people of Ogun State for standing firm and staying true to their belief when it mattered most. It is believed the fact that Ogun people defied the power of naira as believed to have been recklessly deployed by Adebutu, to vote for the future of their children, human development, infrastructural transformation in all sectors as seen to have been embarked upon by Governor, Abiodun in his first term that is winding up, is a testimony that Ogun people are truly exposed, smart and futuristic in their considerations.
The concluded electioneering process has been a condemnable outing for Ladi, as traces of his alleged moves to compromise the process by the use of money is all over the place. Rather than hold his head high in defeat like that of the APC governorship candidate in Oyo state, Senator Teslim Folarin, who in a sportsmanship spirit, upon losing to Seyi Makinde of PDP, went ahead to congratulate and enjoined his supporters to support the winner. Ladi, on the other hand has occupied himself with the task of wanting discredit APC’s victory. While he’s facing backlashes for lack of sportsmanship spirit, his image and personality is also being enmeshed in the allegation of attempts to undermine the concluded election, through inducement of voters with financial reward. The integrity burden on Ladi at the moment, is way too much to shake off as the length he’s alleged to have gone to ensure he induced voters with money is mindboggling .
It’s considered by opinion molders as the highest level of desperation to do all Ladi did in his attempt to buy his way into becoming the governor of Ogun state. While there was scarcity of funds in the country due to the naira redesign policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ladi went out of his way to convert the sum of #10,000 into each voucher that is redeemable at the bank. He earned the toga of a criminal by making the vouchers in the name of a non-governmental organization, a foundation founded in the memory of his late mother, Caroline Oladunni Adebutu Memorial Endowment Scheme, to perpetrate electoral fraud.
One of such discoveries was the arrest of a PDP agent during the election on 18th March by Police officers from Agbado. In possession of the agent was more than 300 Permanent Voters Card (PVC) Verve Prepaid ATM Cards issued in the name of Caroline Oladunni Adebutu Memorial Endowment Scheme and cash.
Discussing incidents that shaped Nigeria’s 2023 election on TVC, a discussant, popular social activist who was an observer in the concluded elections, Nelson Ekujimi, testified to how some politicians bought votes during the elections. He relayed his experience of how the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Ogun State, Adebutu, perpetrated his own act of vote buying through the use of prepaid verve ATM card. According to him, he ran into a woman in the bank who had come with four of these cards that were issued in the name of Caroline Oladunni Adebutu Memorial Endowment Scheme. He further revealed his interaction with the woman revealed the cards which each contained #10,000 naira was the inducement as given by the Adebutu to vote for him during the election. The woman, according to Ekuunjumi, said the four cards were four her, her two children and the husband.
