Be prepared to answer legitimate questions about 2023 elections- Oladele tells Adebutu

Be prepared to answer legitimate questions about 2023 elections- Oladele tells Adebutu

Chairman of the Planning Committee of the Ogun State APC Presidential and Governorship Campaign Council, Kayode Oladele, has challenged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, to be prepared to answer questions arising from the 2023 governorship election as he seeks another mandate in 2027.

Oladele said Adebutu should not expect issues surrounding the criminal case arising from the 2023 election to disappear simply because he has secured the PDP ticket for the forthcoming governorship election.

Adebutu, who was the PDP governorship candidate in the March 18, 2023 election, is standing trial alongside five others over allegations bordering on criminal conspiracy, bribery and undue influence.

The prosecution alleges, among other things, that 200,000 prepaid Verve cards loaded with N10,000 each were provided for the purpose of inducing voters. Adebutu has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Oladele said the alleged transaction, valued at N2 billion, remained a matter before the court and was also a legitimate subject of public scrutiny ahead of the 2027 election.

He said, “Adebutu is asking the same people of Ogun State for another mandate while serious allegations arising from his previous governorship contest remain before the court.

“He cannot simply repackage himself for 2027 and expect 2023 to disappear from public memory. A fresh campaign poster does not erase an unresolved criminal prosecution. A new party ticket does not cancel old questions.”

The APC chieftain, however, stressed that the ongoing court proceedings should not be interpreted as a determination of guilt, noting that Adebutu had pleaded not guilty and had the opportunity to defend himself before the judiciary.

Oladele recalled that in March 2024, the Ogun State High Court admitted Adebutu’s account-opening documents and statements of account as exhibits after a Zenith Bank official testified that he had ordered 200,000 prepaid cards shortly before the 2023 election.

He clarified that the admission of the documents was an evidentiary ruling and did not amount to a finding of guilt.

According to him, the continuation of the case made it difficult for Adebutu to dismiss the issue as irrelevant to his political ambition.

“You cannot seek the highest office in the state and simultaneously demand that inconvenient questions about your last attempt should be forgotten. Governorship is not a sanctuary from accountability.

“The public deserves more than political reinvention. It deserves answers,” he said.

Oladele also recalled that the Ogun State High Court, in November 2025, dismissed an application by Adebutu and five others seeking to stop the criminal proceedings, ruling that the prosecution should proceed with the trial.

He said the case was subsequently adjourned for continuation, adding that the court’s decision further underscored the need for Adebutu to confront the matter through the judicial process.

“The case is there. The plea is on record. The proceedings are there. These are not inventions of Senator Yayi. They are matters already placed before the judiciary.

“If Adebutu says the allegations are false, he has every opportunity to defend himself in court, but what he cannot reasonably demand is silence from the electorate while he asks them for another mandate,” Oladele said.

He urged voters to assess all candidates based on their records, policies and conduct rather than campaign rhetoric or inducements.

He said Ogun residents should insist on a contest based on records, ideas and programmes, and ask every candidate what he had done previously, what he proposed to do and what evidence supported his claims.

Oladele added that no candidate should expect voters to forget serious unresolved issues merely because another election campaign had begun.

He said, “You are asking Ogun people to make you governor in 2027. Fine. Then be prepared to answer every legitimate question arising from the 2023 gubernatorial election.

“A new election does not erase an old controversy. Political ambition does not wipe the slate clean and a party ticket does not place anybody above public scrutiny.”

I retained your headline and shaped the report in a straight Nigerian Tribune news style, while keeping the allegations attributed and noting Adebutu’s not-guilty plea.