Ladi Adebutu explains the reason behind his arrest by DSS

Ladi Adebutu

Ladi Adebutu explains the reason behind his arrest by DSS.

The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ladi Adebutu, said he was arrested and detained by the Department of State Services, DSS, over his objection to the conduct of the November 16 local government elections.

Adebutu held a press conference on Monday to denounce Saturday’s election as not free and fair. However, shortly after the press conference, the DSS arrested and detained Adebutu.

Adebutu, released at about 7 am on Tuesday, said that the allegations levied on him were baseless and aimed to silence him as a voice of the opposition.

He said, “At about 7 am, Tuesday, November 19, 2024, I was released by the Department of State Services, DSS, in Abeokuta following an invitation to answer to various spurious accusations all arising from the November 16 Local Government election in Ogun State.

“Very sadly, the allegations were so baseless that it became clear that their purpose was to silence me as a voice of the opposition. My contention that those elections were not free and fair is my fundamental right to free speech and free thought.

“My thinking that the local government should have financial autonomy that can only be enforced by free and fair elections is germane to our development. Mr President, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, shares the same view as mine, which shows it is not a partisan position but a nationalistic one.

“However, because of the particular situation of Ogun State over the last five years which I shall publish shortly, desperation has set in to emasculate the third tier of government completely, this is the struggle for our development” he stated.