As the bye-election in the state commenced thus morning, security operatives in Ogun state have arrested the Chairman of the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abayomi Tella, other party officials, and two officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, inside an undisclosed hotel in Iperu-Remo area of Ogun State, with a huge amount of money in their possession.
The politicians and INEC officials, who were seen being questioned in a video clip posted on social media on Saturday, were said to have been nabbed at a hotel in Iperu-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State.
In the viral video, the INEC officials, a male and a female, and the PDP officers are seen squatting and being interrogated by an unidentified male security personnel.
According to the interrogator, an intelligence report had indicated that the INEC officials had been contacted and given a large sum of money by the party officials for alleged vote buying during the by-election.
He disclosed that the arrest of the officials of the electoral body led to the eventual arrest of the PDP officers at a hotel in Iperu-Remo.
The male INEC officer told the interrogator that he was asked by his supervisor to go and collect the cash from the politicians.
Meanwhile, the state PDP Chairman, who introduced himself in the video as “PDP official in Ogun State”, was heard denying his involvement in vote-buying the alleged cash-for-vote incident.
“You are just showing money; I don’t know anything about it.”he said
Meanwhile, the PDP has described the arrest of Tella, as a ploy to intimidate and disenfranchise its members ahead of the by-election.
Director of Media and Communications of the party, Asiwaju Akinloye Bankole, in a statement made available to newsmen, said Tella was arrested around 3:30am by security operatives, who allegedly broke into his hotel room in what he termed a “commando-style operation”.
According to him, the PDP chairman was in his hotel room relaxing with his driver and an aide when he was whisked away.
Bankole maintained that contrary to reports, no electoral materials were found in Tella’s possession, nor was he caught with large sums of money.
“The chairman had only N100,000 in his room. No electoral material was discovered in his hotel room or car. It is part of a grand plan to scare our people and disenfranchise them. This is unfortunate and shameful in a democracy.”
He also dissociated Tella from the arrest of two INEC officials and others who were allegedly apprehended with large amounts of cash in the area.
“The chairman does not know the INEC staff arrested. It is practically impossible for him to lodge in the same hotel room with an INEC official. He was only carrying out his responsibility as the state chairman of the party under whose watch this election is being conducted,” Bankole added
The State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, says the command is investigating the purported arrest of Tella and two INEC staff with huge amount of money suspected to be for vote buying in the ongoing Remo Federal constituency by-election.
