Ogun tribunal: Stop sending emissaries to Adebutu’s father – PDP, APC trade words

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop sending emissaries to Chief Kessington Adebutu, father of the PDP candidate in the March 18 governorship election in the State, Ladi Adebutu.

The PDP cautioned that the APC should face the case before the election tribunal instead of sending dignitaries to plead with the business mogul to prevail on his son to withdraw his petition.

This was contained in a statement by the PDP Publicity Secretary in Ogun, Akinloye Bankole, on Monday.

Earlier, the APC spokesman in Ogun, Tunde Oladunjoye, had accused Adebutu of bullying the judiciary.

Oladunjoye told Adebutu that he cannot be a petitioner and judge at the same time, saying election petition is not won on social media

APC leader said, “Adebutu’s persistent bullying of the judiciary, peddling of lies against the government and inciting the citizens, is the worst version of what defective petitioners do to give non-existent hope to gullible followers to keep them in check and securely warehoused.”

He described Adebutu’s petition as nothing but foul smoke that will be blown away with the wind.

“They fantasised about votes to be deducted from APC votes! This is laughable. They have been deceived by rookie statisticians who came up with all manner of strange allegations, expecting their one-winged petition to fly. The decent thing to do is for Adebutu to refrain from propaganda,” Oladunjoye stated.

Reacting, the PDP said Adebutu, together with the party approached the elections petition tribunal with petitions, to register displeasure on the level of partisanship, anomalies, manipulations and several irregularities discovered in the just concluded 2023 elections in the State.

The PDP spokesperson said it is a shameful act for Oladunjoye and the Ogun APC team to have called Adebutu out for exercising his fundamental human rights, stressing that the Nigerian constitution reckons with freedom of speech and expression, which Adebutu has done harmlessly.