The Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bolaji Salami has been called upon to investigate the claim by the immediate past Secretary to the State Government, Sunday Abegunde that electoral fraud was committed by him and others for Governor Rotimi Akeredolu to win the 2016 governorship election.
The state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Akeredolu, made the call in a petition written to the police commissioner.
It would be recalled that Abegunde resigned from his position last week and granted a media interview where he claimed that he and some others committed electoral fraud to ensure victory for Akeredolu in the 2016 governorship election.
The APC and Akeredolu through their lawyer, Mr Femi Emodamori, asked the police commissioner to investigate the claim.
In a petition dated July 14, 2020, the ruling party said Abegunde’s allegations were diametrically spurious, false, reckless, senseless, and criminal.
Read also: Ondo APC dismisses claims of division among members
“Consequently, we have the instruction of our clients to call on your office to set all the necessary machineries under your control as the Commissioner of Police in motion, to unravel the truth or falsehood in the allegation(s) of Abegunde, by conducting a thorough investigation into the allegation in this petition”, the petition said.
The petition stated that in the event that the investigation revealed that the allegation(s) were false, “we demand the immediate prosecution of Abegunde for the criminal offence of publication of defamatory matter, in contravention of Section 375 of the Criminal Code, and punishable with two years’ imprisonment, as well as any other offence for which he may be found culpable.”
Opinions