The Ogun State High Court has dismissed an application seeking to stop the trial of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 election, Ladi Adebutu, over allegations of vote-buying.

The presiding judge, Justice T. A. Okunsokan, on Wednesday ordered the prosecution to proceed with the matter, declaring that the application lacked merit.

Adebutu and five others are facing a four-count charge bordering on criminal conspiracy, bribery, and two counts of undue influence, offences said to contravene Sections 121 and 127 of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The allegations stem from a petition filed by Yemi Sanusi, chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, who accused the PDP candidate of orchestrating widespread vote-buying during the 2023 governorship poll.

The matter was initially investigated by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Abeokuta, after which the Office of the Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice filed charges against Adebutu and his co-defendants.

Counsel to Adebutu and the other defendants, Muyiwa Obanesa, had asked the court to strike out the charges, arguing that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) did not possess the authority to prosecute offences arising from a state election.

Obanesa insisted the charges were incompetent and should be dismissed.

However, prosecuting counsel Rotimi Jacobs, who appeared alongside S. A. Obafemi, vehemently opposed the application.

Jacobs maintained that the AGF, acting under constitutional powers, had the legal right to prosecute any criminal matter, including those arising from electoral offences.

In a firm ruling, Justice Okunsokan held that the AGF’s authority to prosecute any offence in Nigeria, whether at the federal or state level, was well-established under the law.

He dismissed the defence application and gave a clear directive for the trial to proceed.

The court adjourned the matter to January 29 and 30, 2026, for the commencement of the trial.

You may also like