By Isaac Akerele
Federal Government has amended charges levelled against Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Ogun State governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu
Adebutu who was arraigned alongsides nine others on allegation of vote buying before a state High Court sitting in Abeokuta on Tuesday pleads “not guilty” to the seven count charge
The case was instituted in July 2023 over allegations of inducing voters during the governorship election in Ogun State, March, 2023, where it was alleged that the defendants distributed 200,000 preloaded verve ATM cards with N10,000 each
Counsel to the Federal Government, Rotimi Jacobs, informed the court that the charge had been amended and prayed the court to accept the amended charges. Presiding, Justice Abiodun Akinyemi granted the application and took the pleas of Adebutu and six other defendants present in court
Adebutu prayed the court to grant him bail as he was served the same day and still appeared in court. He was granted the bail request in the sum of N1 million with a surety and the case was adjourned till February 7 for trial
His counsel, Gordy Uche, debunks news circulating that Adebutu was at large. According to him, his client had been out of the country taking treatment and is now back to continue with the trial, evidenced by his ‘voluntary’ appearance in court
