Ogun APC, PDP bicker over alleged voters’ inducement

Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday, said that the live interview granted to a television station by state Secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Sunday Solarin, has confirmed that the PDP’s gubernatorial candidate, Oladipupo Adebutu, distributed pre-paid credit cards to induce voters during the March 18 governorship and House of Assembly elections in the state.

In a statement, Publicity Secretary of APC, Tunde Oladunjoye, said that Solarin disclosed during a live programme that the credits cards with inscription ‘Caroline Oladuni Adebutu Memorial Endowment Scheme’ and loaded with N10,000 each were meant to empower the people of the state.

According to Oladunjoye, “Security agents, including police and the operatives of National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at different locations intercepted and seized hundreds of the pre-loaded credit cards from PDP agents along with hundreds of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) on the election day.

“The cards brazenly distributed across the polling booths in the 236 wards of the state were allegedly used to entice voters into voting for the PDP.”

He said that in spite of the move the election later went in favour of Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Oladunjoye urged the PDP and Adebutu to stop chasing shadows as Abiodun clearly won the election.

But Solarin insisted that the credit cards were not meant for vote buying, but empowerment of the people.

He stated that the Adebutu’s family is known for its philanthropic gestures. He said that the credit cards were given to the people as a form of financial empowerment in memory of Mrs. Adebutu.

The state chairman of PDP, Sikirulai Ogunlade also faulted Oladunjoye over the claim, just as he boasted that PDP and Adebutu would reclaim the mandate.

In a counter-statement, the Director of Media, Ladi Adebutu/Akinlade Campaign Organisation, Afolabi Orekoya described APC’s position as a smear campaign, saying, “We categorically denounced the allegations as the machinations of distressed souls trying to mask their electoral heist.

“It is unfortunate that the APC could, at this time, deny the great philanthropic gestures of the Adebutu family in Ogun State and across the nation because of politics.”