In a significant legal development, the Ilorin Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has initiated legal proceedings against Mr. Adekunle Ademola, an individual allegedly involved in the sale of votes during the recently concluded gubernatorial elections in Kwara State.
Mr. Ademola was formally arraigned on Wednesday, November 22, 2023, before Justice Mahmud Abdulgafar of the Kwara State High Court in Ilorin. The charges levied against him are rooted in a one-count indictment related to vote selling, a violation of Section 121 (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and subject to punitive measures under Section 121 (4) of the same Act.
The singular charge posits that on March 18, 2023, at Ilorin Grammar School, Geri Alimi, Ilorin, Kwara State, during the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Election, Mr. Ademola, as a voter at Polling Unit 004, agreed to receive monetary compensation deposited into his account (account number 0035091636, domiciled with Guarantee Trust Bank Plc) in exchange for casting his vote. This action is deemed an offense under Section 121 (2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and is punishable under Section 121 (4) of the same Act.
Upon the reading of the charge, Mr. Ademola pleaded not guilty. In response, the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Andrew Akoja, requested the court to set a trial date to facilitate the prosecution’s presentation of evidence. Furthermore, he sought the remand of the defendant at a Correctional Centre during the trial.
In compliance with the prosecution’s request, Justice Abdulgafar remanded Mr. Ademola in Mandala Correctional Centre and scheduled the trial to commence on December 6, 2023.
Mr. Adekunle Ademola’s legal entanglement traces back to his arrest on March 18, 2023, at Polling Unit 04, Ilorin Grammar School, Ilorin, by officers of the Ilorin Zonal Command of the EFCC, who were conducting election monitoring duties in the State. Notably, Mr. Ademola willingly provided his name, account number, and details of seven others for the explicit purpose of receiving financial compensation subsequent to casting his vote.
