Ogun Court Rejects Adebutu’s Application, Orders Continuation of Vote-Buying Trial
The Ogun State High Court has dismissed an application filed by the legal team of Ladi Adebutu and five others seeking to strike out the criminal charges brought against them by the Federal Government.
During the resumed hearing of charge number AB/10C/2023 — Federal Government of Nigeria vs. Ladi Adebutu & 5 Others — presiding judge, Justice T. A. Okunsokan, ruled that the case should proceed to trial without further delay.
Adebutu, who was the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State during the 2023 elections, is facing charges related to alleged vote-buying — an offence punishable under the Electoral Act 2022.
Counsel for the defendants, Muyiwa Obanesa, had argued that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) lacked the constitutional power to prosecute the matter. However, the prosecution team led by Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), alongside S. A. Obafemi, opposed the application, urging the court to allow the trial to continue.
In its ruling, the court held that Sections 144 and 145 of the Electoral Act could not supersede Section 174 of the Constitution, which empowers the AGF to initiate and undertake criminal proceedings. The court further dismissed the defence’s claim of double jeopardy, stating that the argument was unfounded under Section 245(1) of the Ogun State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL).
Justice Okunsokan therefore concluded that the defendants’ application lacked merit and ordered that the trial should proceed. The case was adjourned to January 29 and 30, 2026, for hearing.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government had, in July, arraigned Adebutu and nine others before the Ogun State High Court sitting in Abeokuta over allegations of vote-buying. Adebutu, who was charged in absentia, reportedly fled the country following accusations of electoral malpractice and money laundering brought against him and his party.
The case originated from a petition filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) through its Ogun State Chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, to the Inspector General of Police, which led to an investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Eleweran, Abeokuta.
After the investigation, the Federal Government, through the Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, filed criminal charges against Adebutu and his co-defendants. The matter, which first came up before Justice Abiodun Akinyemi in July, was initially adjourned due to the inability to serve the defendants with the charge sheet.
