2027: PDP, groups clash over Adebutu’s eligibility, membership register - The Guardian Nigeria News

Two civil society groups were locked in war of words with the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, over the the eligibility of the party’s governship candidate, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, to contest the 2027 elections, following allege omission of his name from the party’s membership register submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission.

Recall that a civil society group, Ogun Democratic Accountability Forum (ODAF) and Elections Integrity Watch raised that alarm over omission of Adebutu’s name from the PDP register submitted to INEC.

While, ODAF alleged that Adebutu’s name is missing from the membership register submitted to INEC, the EIW also alleged that the Certified True Copy(CTC) of PDP’s membership register it obtained from INEC does not contain Adebutu’s name too.

EIW stressed that non inclusion of Adebutu’s name on the register raised questions about the record on which the governorship flagbearer is being presented and whether any subsequent document containing his name was submitted to and accepted by INEC.

Likewise, ODAF claimed to have confirmed this development through a Certified True Copy of the PDP register it obtained from INEC this week; for which it paid the prescribed fee and was issued a receipt.

However, in a swift reaction, yesterday, in Abeokuta, the State PDP’s Chairman, Abayomi Tella, described the development as laughable and a reprisal attack from the All Progressive Congress to counter its gubernatorial candidate, Solomon Adeola’s indigeneity claim that he is not from Ogun State.

Tella alleged that Adeola’s popularity had waned since questioned about his indigeneity spread across the state, claiming that the APC allegedly sponsored the two groups to distract the people of the state with the allegation of Adebutu’s missing name from Party’s membership register submitted to INEC.

He challenged the groups and APC to go to court if they are certain about their allegations concerning the omission of the PDP governorship candidate’s name from the party’s membership register submitted to INEC.

The PDP chairman said that since the Former Senator from Ogunwest senatorial district, Iyabo Anisulowo and a Chieftain of the party, Folake Macus-Bello have called out Adeola, the senator representing Ogunwest senatorial district over his ancestral lineage in Yewa, the ruling party had resorted to antics to retaliate.

He insisted that PDP would not be distracted by any antics of the ruling party to cast doubt on the people of the state about Adebutu’s eligibility to contest as governor in 2027 elections, adding that the APC’s actions suggested I was already apprehensive about the outcome of the poll.

Tella, however, maintained that Adebutu’s name is on the PDP membership register submitted to INEC, questioning the source of the group’s and APC’s claims that his name was missing, adding that Ogun is not Lagos State and that the electorates would stand by their votes just like Osun State Governship election.

“It is laughedable, you see  am not surprised but for the benefit of generality  of Ogun State people I will put certain record on straight. You see we know this people – the APC – we are dealing with, their propaganda machine is first to no ln and I think the people of Ogun State knows that long time ago.”

“Let me ask you a question, Adebutu have been in this party and have been contesting third time now for Governorship and the distraction they can bring now his that his name is not in the party’s register, is that party’s register in their custody or my own custody or the national headquarters custody.”

“I put it to you straight here as the state party Chairman of PDP in Ogun State that Adebutu’s name is in that register, the register that they have other than the one that the national executive brought to the state that we registered Adebutu in maybe they can provide that , but if they are so much interested they should go to court and challenged that we will meet them them there.”

“Part of their(APC) decision is to begin to lie to weaken our organic supporters in Ogun State unfortunately for them those one have made up their minds so we will expect more. They have tried all means to ensure they distract us but we stood our ground. All these is coming out because we they kept secret is not coming out. You have seen Iyabo Anisulowo, Folake Macus-Bello and other people say that Yayi is not from Yewa.”

“As far as I am concerned. the Ogun State people should just disregard their antics to distract us we are not going to be distracted, we are not perturbed about the antics they are using to distract us. It is not going to work.”

“The Truth of the matter is that.Four month ago  Everybody is Ogun knows that Yayi popularity has dropped 30 or 40% and Adebutu is rolling upward, to 60, 65, 70%  that is a pain in their neck and they have to look for another way to play their antic Ogun State is not Lagos, Ogun State is not Ekiti, electorates in Ogun State is very sophisticated, you can call them rural they don’t care, the same antics they are bringing in for Iyabo Obasanjo, all of that is not going to work, they are going to lose this election flat, the people of Ogun State will vote and stan by their votes like Osun State.”