A coalition of registered Political Parties in Ogun State has warned the state governor against engaging cheap propaganda and rumor peddling against the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Oladipipo Adebutu .
The parties also cautioned the Police against being used as an instrument to disrupt democracy in the State.
Recalled that the police had commenced an investigation of Adebutu for alleged vote buying during the March, 18 governorship election.
According to the report, police had revealed that it has submitted a report to 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, accused the police of being used by governor Dapo Abiodun and his party, All Progressives Congress (APC) to intimidate other parties and their candidates.
But, addressing journalists in Abeokuta on Friday, the Coalition of Registered Political Parties called on the police to be independent in the discharge of its duties.
Speaking on behalf of the parties, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Tony Ojeshina advised Abiodun and his party to focus on his case before them at the Governorship Election Tribunal rather than engaging in “cheap propaganda, media bullying and trial, rumor peddling and name calling.”
Ojeshina spoke alongside representatives of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party (AP), Allied People’s Movement (APM), Because Of Our Tomorrow (BOOT party), Labour Party (LP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), African Action Congress (AAC), All Peoples Party (APP) and National Rescue Movement (NRM).
“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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