The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State maintains that it “won fair and square” in the governorship elections held on Saturday, March 18, 2023. In a press statement issued in Abeokuta on Tuesday evening and signed by the party’s state Publicity Secretary, Tunde Oladunjoye, the APC asserted that “the election itself was largely peaceful and the outcome was a true reflection of the wishes of the good people of Ogun.”
The statement continued, noting that “despite political thuggery, vote‑buying and violence perpetrated by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ogun people stood firm and ensured their votes counted.” It condemned “desperate politicians” who, in the party’s view, “banded their gullible followers, bent on wrestling power by force, broke all rules of civility and violated electoral guidelines with reckless abandon.”
According to the APC, its candidates not only secured a majority of votes but also won in 12 of the 20 local government areas (LGAs) in Ogun State and captured 17 of the 26 State House of Assembly constituency seats.
The statement accused the PDP candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, of flagrantly disobeying the Electoral Act (2022) and INEC guidelines that restrict movement on Election Day. It alleged that Adebutu “criss‑crossed from one polling unit to another, moving across local governments and senatorial districts” in a convoy that included armed thugs, individuals in police uniforms with guns, and others. The party claimed these actors harassed electoral officers, induced voters with cash, credit cards and transferred funds, thereby violating democratic norms.
Further allegations described how the PDP candidate and his running mate, Abdulkadir Adekunle Akinlade, were seen around midnight at the Ado‑Odo/Ota LGA Secretariat, the collation centre for the LGA. Accompanied by “well over 50 thugs” wielding cudgels, cutlasses, dangerous weapons and guns, they allegedly attempted to force entry by impersonating the Returning Officer. A similar incident was reported at the Oke Ilewo INEC office, where collation for Abeokuta South LGA was taking place; thugs allegedly fired gunshots and used tear‑gas canisters on defenseless staff and party agents.
The statement also cited arrests by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency of four PDP agents found with hundreds of thousands of Naira in pre‑loaded credit cards intended for vote‑buying at Ibara Housing Estate, Abeokuta. Each card was pre‑loaded with N10,000 and could be activated with a code. Another PDP agent was arrested in Agbado, Ifo LGA, with hundreds of prepaid credit cards bearing the name “Caroline Oladunni Adebutu Memorial Endowment Scheme,” and over 300 Permanent Voter Cards were seized by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission operatives.
According to the APC, several polling units and electoral materials were vandalised by these paid thugs, while security agents were unable to intervene. The party also noted that some APC chieftains were summoned to the Police Headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta, 48 hours before the election, allegedly as a form of intimidation.
Despite these alleged actions by the PDP and its ally, the African Democratic Congress, the statement concluded that the people of Ogun State “stood firm and chose good governance over cash‑and‑carry candidates.” It urged politicians to exhibit maturity by conceding defeat when clearly outmatched, as in the recent governorship race. Finally, the APC invited the losing candidates to accept the “magnanimous olive branch” offered by the winner, His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun, and to join his “Building Our Future Together Agenda,” emphasizing that “the Ogun State Project is everybody’s project.”
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