It was a dramatic moment at the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal premises sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta on Monday as some thugs stormed the venue to disrupt the process, leading to the dispersal of the attendants despite the presence of heavy security. The tribunal started hearing cases today to consider the petition filed by
It was a dramatic moment at the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal premises sitting in Isabo, Abeokuta on Monday as some thugs stormed the venue to disrupt the process, leading to the dispersal of the attendants despite the presence of heavy security.
The tribunal started hearing cases today to consider the petition filed by Mr. Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for state governor, against Prince Dapo Abiodun, the APC candidate, to challenge his election victory on March 18, 2023.
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun as the winner of the election polling 276,298 votes to defeat Ladi Adebutu, his closest rivals who polled 262,383 and Biyi Otegbeye of the ADC who garnered 94,754 votes.
According to the eyewitnesses, the uproar began after a minor clash between the supporters of the two parties, leading to the escalation of the violence by the thugs, who were reportedly holding canes as a show of force.
A viral video also showed the thugs making threats, beating and chasing people out of the tribunal premise with canes while the security agents were watching.
An eyewitness, Toki Gbenga, who spoke with NDR said the incident occurred while the tribunal was ongoing, and the parties’ supporters overwhelmed the venue with canes and a show of force.
He continued, saying that although the security services had kept the thugs from interfering with the tribunal’s proceedings, they were still free to roam the building. He further noted that other party supporters and some journalists fled from the place to avoid being attacked by the thugs.
“I was there to observe the process as a reporter, but as the tribunal was ongoing some of the supporters of the two parties came around with canes, which led to the clash among them. It later escalated into a street fight among them, making people flee the venue”, he said.
In a phone conversation with the state police public relations officer, Omolola Oduntola she said the incident was not reported to any police station, indicating that it cannot be subjected to any action.
“There is a statement to this, and I think everything bothers around its report. This matter was not reported to any division, I have checked in with different divisions, and no one has reported the case. And if a matter is not reported, there are a few things we can do about it. We should not turn everything to politics the best way to handle it is if it was reported first, then the police will take action. The police can only act on the reported matter”, she said.
