Ladi Adebutu, a prominent politician in Nigeria, is charged with using corrupt methods during the previous general elections by the Nigeria Police Force.
He allegedly spent two billion naira in an effort to sway voters in his favor during the March 18 election.
According to Premium Time, the tip that started the probe was given by Abdullahi Sanusi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State chair.
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The Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) governorship candidate Adebutu was the target of Sanusi’s allegation, which cited the distribution of preloaded ATM cards as an incentive for voters.
A police squad under the direction of deputy commissioner of police Mohammed Babakura looked into the allegations made by the APC.
Despite the accusations, Dapo Abiodun of the APC defeated Adebutu in the election.
He has filed an appeal with the electoral petition tribunal though he rejects the outcome.
In response to the accusations, officials from the Nigerian Police Force and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) detained five people who had been discovered on election day in possession of a large number of credit cards.
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The defendants are suspected of being involved in Adebutu’s alleged vote-buying scam because they are in possession of several credit cards and political party agent cards.
The team conducting the inquiry spoke with a number of Point of Sale (POS) operators, Verve, the company that issued the credit cards, and Zenith Bank, the intended recipient of the monies.
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit were consulted by the team in order to further the inquiry.
Through his spokeswoman, Afolabi Orekoya, Adebutu, who is now having medical treatment abroad, refuted the claims.
He asserts that the distribution of the cards, which were a component of a poor people’s empowerment program, began months before the elections.
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The PDP candidate for governor further stated that these accusations are an attempt to thwart his bid for office.
The discovery of the credit cards outside with people after the polls supports their charges, according to Tunde Oladunjoye, the APC’s state spokesperson, who maintained on the truth of their assertions.
Oladunjoye also refutes Adebutu’s assertion that he has received life-threatening threats, saying it is either a distraction or an effort to get away from his creditors.
Before the general elections, the Central Bank of Nigeria responded by enacting a policy to stop the practice.
Vote buying and other related offenses are also subject to sanctions under the Electoral Act of 2022.
According to the Act, those who engage in vote buying and those who take such bribes are both equally responsible for the crime.
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As of right now, multiple persons have been detained for vote-buying and related offenses during the general elections of 2023, including politicians, party agents, and voters.
It is the responsibility of the security and electoral agencies to prosecute them.
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