The witness called by the counsel of the Governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has confirmed that indeed there was a disruption of the electoral process in Sagamu Local Government.
Recall that in the last governorship election in Ogun State, Hon. Ladi Adebutu of the Peoples Democratic Party is fighting the legitimacy of the second term given to Price Dapo Abiodun at the election tribunal sitting in Abeokuta.
Adebutu insists that what happened on March 18, 2023, in the gateway state was not an election but an electoral heist. The current governor is accused of several crimes, including ineligibility to stand for election, over-voting, ballot snatching, intimidation, and illegal collusion with electoral officers to declare false results.
According to the witness, Nurudeen Jimoh Adewogun, from Itunsokun in the Sagamu area of Ogun State, while claiming the election was free and fair in his area, he confirmed that it was later disrupted.
“Those who didn’t want us to use the BVAS machine destroyed it. Therefore, there was zero vote allocated to the area,” he told the INEC counsel questioning him.
Adewogun, an APC ward agent, revealed that there were seven polling units in his ward: PU 1-Unit, PU2-Alagbo, PU3-Ojokanmbe Mosque, PU4-Iranikin, PU5-Iraye, PU6-Araromi, and PU11-Baruwa.
“On that day, the same people shouting ‘no BVAS, no BVAS’ were moving from one unit to another, and this resistance led to no votes being recorded in the whole of the seven units.”
He also confirmed that these thugs were armed and destroyed election materials.
Lawyers for Prince Abiodun alleged that there was a disruption because his opponent’s thugs were sharing money at the polling unit.
When grilled by the petitioner’s lawyer, Gordy Uche, if there was anywhere in his statement where it was stated that they were sharing money and it caused disruption, the APC witness claimed in the negative.
“No trace in your statement that the disruption was caused by the PDP?”
“No place.”
“Was there anywhere in your statement where it was stated that they were sharing money and it caused disruption?”
“Nowhere.”
“Let me ask Dr. Remi Peter Olatunbora SAN a question,” Gordy Uche said, “I put to you, you’re not a witness of truth.”
“I am,” the APC witness said.
The court laughed loudly at the gesticulation of Gordy Uche and the mockery of INEC.
When shown form EC8B, the ward agent claimed that he had no knowledge of the eventual result declared as there was zero vote allocated.
Recently, both the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Secretary to the Ogun State government, Tokunbo Talabi, were accused of gross abuse of power and conflict of interest.
Details shortly…
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
