Governorship election: Adebutu leads protesters to INEC office in Ogun

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, on Tuesday, led hundreds of his supporters to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abeokuta, protesting the outcome of the last Saturday’s governorship election.

Adebutu and his party came second in the election, having polled total votes of 262,383 against the election winner, Prince Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC), which scored 276,298 votes.

The PDP governorship candidate was at the INEC office to submit a petition demanding re-run elections at some polling units where violence erupted during the polls.

The protesters were armed with placards with inscriptions such as “INEC should save our democracy,” “INEC betrayed the people of Ogun,” “Electoral fraud will not stand”, INEC should respect people’s wishes”, “INEC should stop being biased” and “Ogun election was inconclusive, INEC correct yourself,” among others.

Adebutu had demanded to meet the electoral body officials and vowed not to leave the vicinity until he was attended to.

However, security operatives manning the office prevented him and his supporters from accessing the premises, resulting in shooting into the air to disperse the protesters.

Speaking with newsmen, Adebutu said several petitions had been written to the Commission since the election was concluded on Saturday, calling for reviewing the election results and re-running where elections were cancelled or disrupted.

He submitted that the action of the security operatives could degenerate to another #Endsars protest.

Adebutu said, “We are here to protest, but unfortunately, we have been confronted by the Nigerian Army, shooting sporadically to the air, in the hope that they will disperse us, but we are resolute, we are going to stay here until we are addressed by officials of INEC.

“Our contention is that the measures by which other states have been treated and they are allowed to have venoms, Ogun State should be measured in the same vein.

“Adamawa has runup, similarly, Kebbi has runup, why is Ogun State being denied runup? We are not particular about whatever interest is guiding this, we are only asking for our rights.

“We have submitted several letters protesting this decision, and we are asking that these gentlemen allow us access to INEC to submit an additional letter, but unfortunately, we don’t understand what is happening, rather than allowing us access, they are shooting sporadically in the air in the hope of scaring us away and we are not going to be scared Bea sue this is our fundamental human right …a democratic process, please beg them we don’t want another #Endsars, we don’t want another bloodshed in Ogun State, please beg them for us. It is our right that we should protest and exercise our rights.

“We are entitled to run-ups by all the rules that govern this election, we must exercise and protest to INEC that Ogun State deserves runups, allow us admittance to see the authorities’ concern.”

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers under the umbrella of Concerned Indigenes of Ogun State had given INEC a six-day ultimatum to review Abiodun’s declaration as the election winner.

They submitted that the declaration of Abiodun as the winner was against the requirements and provisions of the Electoral Act.

The coordinator of the group, Femi Oniyide, said that the election was marred with irregularities and violence, 

explaining that election results from 100 polling units in 14 local government areas of the State were either cancelled or the election was not held due to violence and BVAS malfunctioning.

 “31,000 voters were disenfranchised due to violence, ballot box snatching, and burning of ballot papers with non-use of BVAS, ” he said.

Oniyide said the State Returning Officer, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, acted with impunity by not obeying the law guiding a candidate’s declaration as the winner of an election.

According to him, “the margin between the votes of the APC candidate and the voters disenfranchised through cancellation is so huge and should not have been overlooked by the presiding officer.”

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