November 19, (THEWILL) – The Department of State Services has released Hon. Ladi Adebutu, the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate in Ogun State during the 2023 elections, following his arrest and detention on Monday night.
Adebutu, who was detained over allegations of violence and electoral malpractices during the November 16 local government election in Ogun State, was accused of bringing in 40 illegal police officers from the MOPOL 49 unit in Lagos, armed with guns, cutlasses, and other dangerous weapons to allegedly disrupt the poll and snatch ballot boxes.
The politician was released at approximately 7 a.m. on Tuesday, and in a statement to newsmen, he vehemently denied the accusations, calling them baseless and part of a broader plot to silence his voice as an opposition figure.
“My release came at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, after being invited by the Department of State Services in Abeokuta to answer to various spurious accusations that stemmed from the November 16 local government elections in Ogun State,” Adebutu said.
He continued, “Sadly, the allegations were so baseless that it became clear their true aim was to silence me as a voice of the opposition. My belief that the elections were neither free nor fair is my fundamental right to express my thoughts and opinions.”
He also expressed his stance on the need for local government financial autonomy and emphasised that such a position is not only a partisan issue but one that he shares with the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The idea that local governments should have financial autonomy, which can only be guaranteed through free and fair elections, is crucial to our development. It’s a belief shared by President Tinubu, which shows that it is not a matter of partisanship but rather a nationalistic perspective.”
