Coalition of political parties in Ogun State has warned the Nigeria Police Force not to be used as instrument of cohesion and intimidation by the Governor of the state, Prince Dapo Abiodun.
The coalition, comprising of 10 registered political parties, at a press conference addressed on its behalf by the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Engr Anthony Ojeshina, held in Abeokuta, on Friday, said that the allegations of vote-buying by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in the last March 18 election, Dapo Abiodun, against the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, was untrue.
This was coming on the heels of Police revelation that a report had been submitted to the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), indicting Adebutu, for alleged money laundering and vote-buying.
The parties, however, called on the Police to be independent in the discharge of its duties.
“We want to urge the Nigeria Police Force not to allow themselves to be used as an instrument of cohesion and intimidation by Prince Dapo Abiodun with his expected numbered days as the Governor of Ogun State.
“We are advising Prince Abiodun to honourably find ways to defend the hard evidence against him and his party rather than engaging in cheap propaganda, media bullying and trial, rumor peddling and name calling of a man whose mandate he wants to dubiously steal”, Ojeshina said.
He accused Abiodun and the APC of usurping the responsibility of the Police by revealing information of an ongoing investigation of Adebutu.
“Since the time the petition was filed at the tribunal, Dapo Abiodun and his party have made frantic efforts to ensure that our candidate did not proceed with the tribunal and has failed in their several attempts to suppress Hon. Adebutu’s bid to recover the mandate of the good people of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun and his party have now resorted to engage in media trial, blackmailing, name calling and rumor peddling against our candidate.
“We are not unaware of the antics of Abiodun and his party APC’s deliberate effort to sway public attention away from his many unforgivable transgressions in the electoral process and also to cause distraction for the tribunal through his consistent media trial and rumor peddling against our candidate, Adebutu”, Ojeshina added.
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