Adebutu returned after spending about seven months in the United Kingdom.
The Ogun APC asked him to turn himself into the authorities and defend the vote-buying and money laundering charges preferred against him by the Federal Government.
The APC made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Assistant Publicity Secretary, Olusola Blessed, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
The ruling party said that the PDP candidate had left the country “in suspicious circumstances” after the Criminal Investigation Department of the police in Abeokuta, in a letter dated April 16, 2023, and signed by Muhammed Babakura, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, invited him to respond to a case of conspiracy, electoral offences and money laundering received from the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution of the Federation.
The party went ahead to urge Adebutu to toe the honourable path by reporting to the police.
The party said, “If it is indeed true that Adebutu has returned to the country after being away from the long arm of the law since April this year on the pretext of medical vacation, we welcome him back to his fatherland.
“We also urge him to turn himself in to the authorities and defend the allegations of vote-buying and money laundering leveled against him during the 18th March 2023 governorship and House of Assembly elections for which some members/agents of his party have already been charged to court.”
The statement recalled that on December 9, 2023, the Ogun state PDP gave the names of its members who were charged for vote-buying by the Federal Government as Ogunbona Hammed, Tiramisu Waliu, Egunsola Owolabi, Moliki Badmus and Sanni Adejoke.”
The suspects, according to PDP, 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘳𝘶𝘨 𝘓𝘢𝘸 𝘌𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘨𝘦ncy 𝘪𝘯 various locations around the state during 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 18 2023 g𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘺’𝘴 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯s, following which ATM cards allegedly meant for vote buying were found on them, adding that Adebutu’s name featured prominently in the police investigation and the subsequent charges by the Federal Government against the suspects.
The statement said, “He should be honourable enough to fulfill the promise of his lawyers to the police in the letter dated May 2, 2023, by turning himself in to the police.
“He should also allow himself to be served the court papers on the vote-buying and money laundering charges by the Federal Government and keep his date in the court of law.
“Hopefully, Adebutu would have made himself available to be served the court papers and tried along with others at the next hearing.
“The trial of the already arraigned members of PDP in the vote-buying and money laundering charges resumes in February 2024 before the Honourable Justice Abiodun Akinyemi of the Ogun State High Court, Abeokuta.”
The Media aide to Adebutu, Afolabi Orekoya, could, however, not be reached for a reaction as of the time of filing this report.
