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.
