Politics
Why Ladi Adebutu’s petition against Governor Dapo Abiodun/APC should be dismissed outright
Why Ladi Adebutu’s petition against Governor Dapo Abiodun/APC should be dismissed outright
By Oluwaseun Aderinoye
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, is becoming more and more desperate in his bid to reverse the outcome of the election won by Governor Dapo Abiodun. He has failed to realize that he is on a fruitless journey and that at this juncture, he needs to return home. After all, when the river overflows its banks and hinders your further movement, home beckons.
It is not surprising that in his ill-fated journey into political infamy and eclipse, Adebutu has been making one misstep and Freudian slip after another, continually casting him and his co-travelers as either perpetually inebriated or confused. One such blunder was the petition he recently addressed to the Inspector-General of Police alleging vote buying against Governor Dapo Abiodun and his Party, All Progressives Congress, (APC ) and requesting police investigation.
There are several reasons why the petition should be dumped in the trash can:
• The petition is frivolous. It is a product of the superficial, carefree mind of Adebutu and his acolytes who have no other purpose than to take over the governorship of Ogun State through the backdoor. How does he want anyone, including the police, to take him seriously when he waited until a case of vote buying was leveled against him, investigated by the police, and charges of conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering preferred against him and his accomplices before coming out to say “hey, you Dapo and APC too are guilty of vote buying, see the cards you also used”. He could only have acted from a state of hallucination or drunken stupor. It is a display of frivolity. It is lacking honest and altruistic purpose and value, and a serious-minded and very busy police institution should not be bothered by it
• The petition lacks evidence. Unlike the petition against him and his accomplices by the APC, Adebutu did not provide the place, time, and perpetrators of the cases of vote buying leveled against Governor Dapo and APC. Also, while his inducement verve cards bore his late mother’s name, the so-called ” Topup Gift Cards” Ladi claims were printed by Dapo and APC to induce voters and were neither linked to APC nor Abiodun. He also did not provide evidence of the N5 billion he claims Governor Abiodun used in printing the cards, whereas in the case of vote buying against him, the bank, Zenith Bank Plc, and the account number he used was provided. Also, his verve cards were distributed on the day of the election with dedicated POS operators on standby to dispense N10,000 each to induced voters.
Equally worthy of note is that security agents arrested suspects from whom Adebutu’s verve cards were recovered. None of the cards now being paraded by Adebutu as the ones purportedly used by Governor Abiodun and APC to buy voters were recovered by the police or any of the security agencies either before, during, or after the election, and not even one APC member was arrested in this connection. The allegations are therefore like straws at which Adebutu as a drowning man is clutching, realising the utter failure of his desperate ambition to become the governor of Ogun State through outright criminality.
• The Police cannot shave Adebutu’s head in his absence. It is standard police practice to obtain a confirmatory statement on the authorship of a written complaint from a complainant or petitioner directly, not through a proxy, before commencing investigation. Adebutu must come out to adopt his petition in a written statement before the police can look into it. However, poor Adebutu is at large, desperate to evade prosecution for vote-buying, bribery and criminal conspiracy charges that federal prosecutors have preferred against him. He claims he is sick and is out there in an undisclosed country outside Nigeria receiving treatment. While the purported sickness would be interminable for as long as the criminal charges hang around his neck like an albatross and over his head like the Sword of Damocles, he has the guts to occasionally peep out of his foxhole to throw darts. His frivolous petition will gather dust until he returns home.
• The petition is vexatious. Judging by his desperation to occupy the seat of Governor of Ogun State tate, it is inconceivable that Adebutu had such damning evidence of vote buying against Governor Dapo Abiodun and APC but waited to be reminded to use it against them. He only sprang into action following a proven case of vote buying against. He can’t possibly be serious ! It is either that he cooked up the evidence or had had it with him all this while but did not attach confidence of weight and value to it, hence he did not use it as early as reasonably expected of him. The only reasonable inference that can be drawn from his duplicitous action is that he brought up a petition without substance simply to annoy the governor and his party, hoping to frustrate the criminal charges against him or gain the undeserved sympathy of the Election Tribunal where he has gone to contest the victory of Governor Abiodun in the March 18 governorship election. He is out to waste the time of both the police and the court and therefore should not be granted that luxury.
• The more vexatious aspect of his devious gameplan is that in the petition he filed against Governor Dapo Abiodun and APC, at the Ogun Election Tribunal over the outcome of the March 18 polls, he never pleaded vote buying. However, his team of lawyers on Tuesday, June 18th at the Tribunal attempted with all desperation to allow the spurious allegation to be pleaded. A Tribunal of such eminent and highly respected jurists will not grant such frivolous application as in all civil matters like election cases, parties are bound by their initial pleadings accompanied by grounds and particulars of pleadings, and an affidavit to tighten the lock on exhaustiveness and confidence on the pleadings. Like all traditional and conservative courts, the Tribunal is not a father Christmas, and cannot therefore grant him a belated and demented pleading. It is an off-side plea which the court/Tribunal will not grant.
• Of course, the most annoying aspect of Adebutu’s petition is that he and his lawyer are aware that under section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Abiodun as the sitting governor of Ogun state enjoys immunity against civil and criminal proceedings during his period of office. He cannot be arrested or imprisoned, nor can he be compelled by any court process or order to appear before the police in connection with the frivolous petition. So, there is no other thing to gain from his frivolous petition to the police other than malice. He aims to whip up public sentiments in his favor over the charges against him and his accomplices. He is therefore advised as the honorable gentleman he claims to be to come out to answer the charges of vote buying against him and assist the police to facilitate an investigation into a similar allegation he has made against Governor Abiodun and APC.
Continually holing himself up in God-knows-where will further worsen his state of health. He needs his liberty urgently to expedite the healing process. Ladi, come out! Please, come out! Ma beru! Fear thee not!
Aderinoye, a security expert sent this piece from [email protected]
Customs at the Crossroads: When Lawmakers Look Away and the Executive Looks Aside
By Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi
In a democracy, legislative oversight is the scalpel that cuts through deceit, inefficiency, and corruption in public institutions. It is the people’s last institutional shield against abuse of power. But what happens when that shield becomes a shelter for the very rot it is meant to expose? And what happens when the Executive arm, whose duty is to supervise its agencies, pretends not to see?
The unfolding drama between the National Assembly and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) reveals more than a policy dispute. It exposes a dangerous triangle of confusion, complicity, and economic sabotage. At stake is not only the rule of law but the survival of an economy already gasping under inflation, a weak naira, and suffocating costs of living.
The House Talks Tough
In June 2025, Nigerians saw a glimpse of legislative courage when the House of Representatives Committee thundered at Customs:
> “Nigerian Customs Service, by June 30, must not collect CISS again. You are to collect only your 4% FOB assigned by the President. Even the 7% cost of collection you currently take is illegal—it was an executive fiat of the military, not democratic law. Any attempt to continue these illegal collections will be challenged in court. The ‘I’s have it.”
The voice was firm, the ruling decisive. Nigerians expected a turning point.
But the righteous thunder of the House was quickly muffled by the Senate’s softer tone, which suggested not the enforcement of the law but a readiness to bend it.
Senate: Oversight or Escape Route?
At a Senate Customs Committee session, Senator Ade Fadahunsi admitted openly that Customs has been operating illegally since June 2023. Yet rather than demand an end to illegality, he extended a lifeline to Comptroller-General Bashir Adeniyi:
> “If we come back to the same source… the two houses will sit together and see to your amendment so you will not be walking on a tight rope.”
But should Adeniyi be handed a loose rope while Nigeria’s economy hangs by a thread?
Instead of accountability, the Senate Customs Committee floated adjustments that would make life easier for Customs. The nation was given hints about fraudulent insurance and freight data, but instead of sanctions, what we saw was a search for escape routes. This is not oversight—it is overlook.
Smuggling and Excuses
The Senate Committee also lamented cross-border smuggling—Nigerian goods like cement flooding Cotonou, Togo, and Ghana at cheaper prices than in Nigeria. Senator Fadahunsi blamed the Central Bank’s 2% value deposit for encouraging the practice.
But where are the Senate’s enforcement actions—compliance checks, stiffer sanctions, cross-border coordination? None. The result is predictable: smugglers prosper, reserves bleed, and ordinary Nigerians pay more for less.
A Bloated Customs Budget
The Service’s 2024 capital allocation ballooned to ₦1.1 trillion from ₦706 billion. Instead of channeling these resources into modern trade systems, Customs is expanding empires of frivolity—such as proposing a new university despite already having training facilities in Gwagwalada and Ikeja that could easily be upgraded.
Oversight is not an afterthought; it is the legislature’s constitutional duty. To see waste and illegality and yet propose amendments that would legalise them is to turn oversight into overlook.
Customs has about 16,000 staff, yet many remain poorly trained. Rather than prioritise capacity building, the Service is busy building staff estates in odd locations. How does Modakeke—an inland town with no border post—end up with massive Customs housing projects, while strategic border towns like Badagry, Idiroko, and Saki remain neglected? Is Bashir Adeniyi Comptroller-General of Customs—or Minister of Housing?
The 4% FOB Levy: A Policy Blunder
The central controversy is the Federal Government’s plan to replace existing port charges with a new 4% Free-On-Board (FOB) levy on imports.
Nigeria is an import-dependent nation. This levy will instantly hike the costs of cars, spare parts, machinery, and raw materials—crippling industries and punishing consumers.
Already, the consequences are biting:
A 2006 Toyota Corolla now costs between ₦6–9 million.
Clearing agents who once paid ₦215,000 for license renewal must now cough out ₦4 million.
New freight forwarder licenses have jumped from ₦600,000 to ₦10 million.
Customs claims the revenue is needed for its modernisation programme, anchored on a software platform called B’Odogwu. But stakeholders describe this so-called “Odogwu” as epileptic—if not comatose. Why commit trillions to a ghost programme that will be obsolete by January 2026, when the Nigerian Revenue Service is set to take over Customs collections?
Industry Raises the Alarm
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the levy will worsen inflation, disrupt supply chains, and hurt productivity.
Lucky Amiwero, President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, calls the levy “economically dangerous.” His reasoning is straightforward:
The 4% FOB levy is much higher than the 1% CISS it replaces.
Peer countries like Ghana maintain just 1%.
The new levy will fuel inflation, raise the landed costs of goods, and destabilise the naira.
He also revealed that the Customs Modernisation Act, which introduced the levy, was passed without Senate scrutiny or meaningful stakeholder consultation. He estimates that the levy could add ₦3–4 trillion annually to freight costs—burdens that will be transferred directly to consumers.
Who Is Behind the “Odogwu” Masquerade?
The haste to enforce this levy, despite its looming redundancy, raises disturbing questions. Who benefits from the “Odogwu” project draining trillions? Why the rush, when NRS will take over collections in a few months?
This masquerade must be unmasked.
The Price Nigerians Pay
For ordinary Nigerians, this policy translates into one thing: higher prices. Cars, manufactured goods, and spare parts are spiraling beyond reach. A nation struggling with inflation, unemployment, and a weak currency cannot afford such reckless experiments.
So, while the Senate looks away, the Executive cannot look aside.
The Executive Cannot Escape Blame.
It is easy to focus on the failings of the legislature. But we must not forget: the Customs Service is an agency of the Federal Ministry of Finance, under the direct supervision of the Honourable Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun.
If Customs is breaking the law, wasting resources, or implementing anti-people policies, the buck stops at the Executive’s table. The Minister of Finance is Chairman of the Customs Board. To fold his hands while the Service operates in illegality is to abdicate responsibility.
History gives us a model. In 1999, the Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, was specifically assigned to supervise Customs and report directly to the President. Meanwhile, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala focused on broader fiscal and economic policies. That division of responsibility improved accountability. Today, the absence of such an arrangement is feeding impunity.
President Tinubu and his Finance Minister must act decisively. Oversight without executive will is a dead letter.
A Call to Accountability
The truth is stark:
Customs has been operating illegally since June 2023 to the Senate’s own confession.
The 4% FOB levy will deepen inflation and worsen economic hardship.
The Ministry of Finance bears ultimate responsibility for Customs’ conduct.
Until importing and consuming, Nigerians demand accountability—of the Comptroller-General, the Senate, and above all, the Finance Ministry—this bleeding will continue.
Nigerians deserve better. They deserve a Customs Service that serves the nation, not a privileged few. They deserve a House that enforces its resolutions, not one that grandstands. They deserve a Senate that upholds the law, not one that bends it. And above all, they deserve an Executive that does not look aside while illegality thrives under its ministry.
Only public pressure can end this indulgence. If Nigerians keep silent, we will keep paying the price—in higher costs, weaker currency, and a sabotaged economy.
Citizens’ Charge: Silence is Not an Option
Fellow Nigerians, the Customs crisis is not a drama for the pages of newspapers—it is a burden on our pockets, our businesses, and our children’s future. Every illegal levy is a tax on the poor. Every abandoned oversight is an open invitation to corruption. Every silence from the Executive is an approval of impunity.
We cannot afford to fold our arms. Democracy gives us the power of voice, the duty of vigilance, and the right to demand accountability. Let us demand that:
The Senate and House of Representatives stop playing good cop, bad cop, and enforce the law without compromise.
The Ministry of Finance takes full responsibility for the Customs Service, supervising it in the interest of Nigerians, not vested interests.
The President intervenes now, before the Service crosses the dangerous line of turning illegality into policy.
History will not forgive a people who suffered in silence when their economy was bled by recklessness. Silence is complicity. The time to speak, to write, to petition, to protest, and to demand is now.
Customs must serve Nigeria—not sabotage it.
Dr. Bolaji O. Akinyemi is an Apostle and Nation Builder. He’s also the President of Voice of His Word Ministries and Convener Apostolic Round Table. BoT Chairman, Project Victory Call Initiative, AKA PVC Naija. He is a strategic Communicator and the CEO, Masterbuilder Communications.
Email:[email protected]
Facebook:Bolaji Akinyemi.
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Aare Adetola Emmanuel King Congratulates Hon. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji on Election Victory
The Chairman/CEO of Adron Group, Sir Aare Adetola Emmanuel King KOF, has congratulated Hon. Adesola Ayoola-Elegbeji on her resounding victory in the just-concluded by-election for the Remo Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
In a goodwill message issued by him, he described the victory as “a historic moment for the Remo people, coming at a time when the constituency yearns for a leader with vision, courage, and genuine commitment to service.”
He noted that the outcome of the election was an attestation to the trust and confidence reposed in Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji by the people, adding that her sterling qualities, integrity, accessibility, and compassion for the grassroots had endeared her to the electorate.
“The overwhelming support you garnered at the polls is proof that you are the right voice at the right time to carry the aspirations of Remo to the national stage,” he stated.
While acknowledging that the by-election followed the painful demise of the late Hon. Adewunmi Oriyomi Onanuga (Ijaya), Aare Adetola Emmanuel King said Hon. Ayoola-Elegbeji’s emergence symbolizes the continuity of purposeful representation. He expressed confidence that she would not only sustain the legacy of her predecessor but also surpass it with new energy, innovative ideas, and progressive leadership.
The Adron Group Chairman further prayed for divine wisdom, strength, and compassion for the Member-Elect as she assumes office, expressing confidence that her tenure will usher in meaningful development, economic empowerment, and greater opportunities for the people of Remo Federal Constituency.
ADC Condemns Intimidation Campaign Against Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola
The African Democratic Congress (ADC), Ogun State Chapter, strongly condemns the ongoing intimidation and smear campaign targeted at our party leader and Interim National Secretary, *Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola*, by opposition forces in the South West region.
It is unacceptable and undemocratic that as he exercises his constitutional and political right to campaign across the region, elements of the opposition resort to harassment and attacks instead of engaging in issue based politics. Such actions are a direct assault on democracy, free expression, and the spirit of fair political competition.
The ADC calls on security agencies and all relevant authorities to guarantee the safety and freedom of movement for Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and all our party leaders nationwide. Democracy thrives on inclusivity, tolerance, and fairness not intimidation.
We urge our members and supporters to remain steadfast and law-abiding, as the ADC will continue to pursue its vision of a just, democratic, and prosperous Nigeria.
*Signed:*
Honourable Muhammed MJG GKAF
*Publicity Secretary, ADC National Media Frontiers, Ogun State*
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