Governor Dapo Abiodun, who was illegally declared winner of the March 18 Ogun governorship election, has resorted to begging his opponent Ladi Adebutu to concede defeat and withdraw his petition from the tribunal.

To plead his cause, Mr Abiodun dispatched the Akarigbo of Remo, Babatunde Ajayi, and other traditional chiefs from the state to London to meet with Kesington Adebutu, Ladi’s father, hoping to broker a peace accord that will end in the termination of the legal battle, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Peoples Gazette.

The Akarigbo was joined on the trip by Asiwaju Solomon Onafowokan, chairman of Coleman Cable; Otunba Tunji Lawal-Solarin, chairman of Remo Growth and Development Foundation; Adewale Osiberu, Elepe of Epe; and Timothy Adesanya, Ewusi of Makun, The Gazette learnt. 

The traditional rulers specifically stated that they were sent on the trip by Mr Abiodun, who lamented to them that he had lost concentration and unable to get a grip on the state because of the lingering judicial battle against his reelection. 

“We have had a discussion with our governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, and we were able to gather from him that the relationship between him and our Balogun is not as cordial as it used to be,” the traditional chiefs said in a prepared statement during the London visit. “All these have made our rising to the exigencies of this restiveness a compelling necessity.”

The chiefs said a “palpable threat of bloodletting and heightened tension” in the state might escalate if the dispute was left unresolved between Mr Abiodun and Adebutus. 

Mr Adebutu contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party against Mr Abiodun, the incumbent who ran on his ruling All Progressives Congress party line.

Returning officer Kayode Adebowale of the University of Ibadan flouted the electoral law when he declared Mr Abiodun winner despite a small margin that fell short of the cancelled votes in the election.

The electoral guideline stipulated that a supplementary election should be held where the margin of lead between the first and second candidates in an election is lower than the number of eligible voters in the areas where ballots were disrupted or cancelled. The measure was followed in Kebbi and Adamawa, where INEC held supplementary ballots to determine a final winner. 

In Ogun, Mr Adebowale, a scientist, said Mr Abiodun scored 276,298 votes against Mr Adebutu, who received 262,383 votes. The released results showed that Mr Abiodun won with only 13,915 votes, which fell well below the 49,066 eligible voters (PVCs collected) in affected precincts. 

In Adamawa, incumbent Ahmadu Fintiri was leading with over 31,000 votes when the returning officer, Muhammed Mele of the University of Maiduguri, declared the election inconclusive on the ground that over 37,000 eligible voters were in areas where voting was disrupted. Mr Fintiri subsequently won the supplementary election earlier this month.

Mr Adebowale’s controversial conduct immediately drew nationwide outrage, with critics suggesting he had received bribes from Mr Abiodun, who has a documented history of criminality and thuggery from the United States and Nigeria. 

Mr Adebutu, a former lawmaker who relied on his father’s fortunes to put up an ardent challenge against Mr Abiodun, immediately filed a 307-page petition at the governorship election petitions tribunal in Abeokuta, demanding an outright declaration of the election in his favour. He alleged that serialised ballot papers meant for other local governments were used in Ado Ota and Ifo LGAs and demanded results in those cases be voided. 

Furthermore, Mr Adebutu sought fresh elections in areas voting was disrupted due to violence, claiming that the total number of PVCs collected in the affected polling units is more than the difference in votes between him and the governor. 

Apparently rattled by the petition, Mr Abiodun quickly moved to pacify Mr Adebutu before the case reaches an advanced stage before federal judges. He contacted Mr Ajayi, who is the most prominent traditional ruler in Remoland, to rally other chiefs in the region for his cause, two sources and documents shared with The Gazette revealed. Messrs Adebutu and Abiodun are both from Iperu, one of the key districts in Remoland. 

“We are here to plead for reconciliation,” Mr Ajayi told the senior Adebutu during his group’s April 19 trip to London. “Your backing is crucial and it is deemed as the needed bolster for this our reconciliatory mission, which we will be extending to all concerned and essentially to your son- Hon Ladi Adebutu.” 

The senior Adebutu, the 87-year-old lottery magnate owner of ‘Baba Ijebu’, has been receiving treatments in London as his health deteriorates, people familiar said. 

The senior Adebutu, however, responded that he would not take sides because the governor is like his own child, even though he’s not his biological son like Ladi. Instead, he read out a letter his son had written to him regarding the matter to his visitors. 

The letter’s content reaffirmed the junior Adebutu’s decision to reclaim his alleged stolen mandate at the tribunal, come what may.

The PDP gubernatorial flag bearer pointed out that his ambition had suffered too many setbacks in the hands of Mr Abiodun, who allegedly went as far as withholding the MKO Abiola Stadium, Abeokuta, a state-owned facility, from being used for his campaigns and a football match sponsored by the Adebutu family.

“Campaign started and every effort for a level playing field was thwarted by the governor. The use of the Stadium was disallowed, even for finals of the Football Competition sponsored by the family Foundation Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation KAFF,” the PDP governorship candidate said.

Mr Adebutu found it noteworthy that no one had considered brokering a truce when the Ogun governor had used devious means to intimidate him, including a morass of legal disputes spanning 32 cases at different courts.

He said the election that gave Mr Abiodun victory was sullied with “thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes, shooting and harassment of opposing members,” adding that he had “incontestable proofs” that will be presented at the tribunal.

Mr Adebutu stressed that no God-fearing person would initiate negotiations to uphold the results of such a fraudulent election, saying, “To go into any negotiation to sustain the subversion is ungodly and we wouldn’t expect any God-fearing people to be part of such ignominy.”

Mr Abiodun was arrested in the United States over credit card fraud and forgery in 1986. The City of Miami Police Department had filed criminal charges against Dapo Abiodun.

Mr Abiodun also falsely claimed to have attended colleges and filed fake academic documents in Ogun. He was never prosecuted for the offence before becoming governor and currently enjoys immunity from criminal charges as a serving governor.

In May 2021, Abidemi Rufai, a longtime associate of Mr Abiodun‘s, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the U.S. for his role in a $650 million (N312 billion) employment fraud. 

Mr Rufai later told American authorities that Mr Abiodun was paying him $50,000 per fraudulent transaction in Ogun. Mr Abiodun strongly denied the allegations. 

“He wasn’t part of the Ogun State economic management team and had got no input into the state government activities,” Mr Abiodun said in a statement. “His appointment was based on his activities in his ward. He didn’t sit in the State Executive Council meetings and couldn’t have had inputs in policies of the state government.”

Mr Abiodun’s decision to use traditional chiefs to pacify Mr Adebutu while the election dispute was still in court appeared to follow a pattern of Nigerian politicians’ fallback on extra-legal means. A source said Mr Adebutu rejected the move because it would not be in the best public interest to forgo a controversial election just because a battery of chiefs weighed in. 

When reached for comments, the Akarigbo of Remo only asked why The Gazette was interested in the matter. He did not return further requests seeking his explanation for leading the emissaries to London. 

Solomon Onafowokan, Asiwaju of Remo, part of the entourage sent to London, did not return requests seeking comments. 

It was unclear how much was spent on the trip from the state’s coffers. Mr Abidion and his media aides were separately reached for comments by The Gazette but declined.