Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and the Ondo State’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have petitioned the state police boss, Mr Salami Bolaji over claims by a former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Mr Ifedayo Abegunde, that the 2016 governorship election was won by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but rigged in favour of Akeredolu.
They said the allegation of electoral fraud is diametrically spurious, false, reckless, senseless and criminal.
Abegunde, who resigned from his position last week, had granted a media interview claiming that he and some others committed electoral fraud to ensure victory for Akeredolu in the 2016 governorship election.
He later recanted his statement to say that he meant that the people and not Akeredolu won the governorship election for the APC.
In the petition dated July 14, 2020, and signed by counsel to Akeredolu and the Ondo APC, Femi Emmanuel Emodamori, they are asking the police commissioner to investigate and prosecute Abegunde over the electoral fraud claims.
According to the petition: “Consequently, we have the instruction of our clients to call on your office to set all the necessary machinery under your control as the Commissioner of Police in motion, to unravel the truth or falsehood in the allegation(s) of Abegunde, by conducting a thorough investigation into the allegation in this petition.”
It added that in the event that the investigation revealed that the allegation(s) were false, “we demand the immediate prosecution of Abegunde for the criminal offence of publication of defamatory matter, in contravention of Section 375 of the Criminal Code, and punishable with two years’ imprisonment, as well as any other offence for which he may be found culpable.”
Noting that electoral integrity is a serious and sensitive issue in Nigeria, it said: “For any person to fraudulently procure the return of any other person to an elective office, whether directly or indirectly, is a criminal offence punishable with 12 months imprisonment, by virtue of Section 124(1) (a) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended).”
They said the election results were never disputed by any of the candidates before the Ondo State Election Petition Tribunal, but they were shocked by Abegunde’s revelations.
