The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, opened up about his recent electoral defeat.
Naija News reports that the PDP candidate made the comment while speaking at the remembrance ceremony of his great-grandfather, Alimi Adebutu.
He attributed his loss in the governorship race to his commitment to non-violence amidst alleged electoral disruptions led by thugs.
Addressing newsmen at the event in Ijeun-Akoni, a remote community, Adebutu discussed the challenges he faced during the March 18 governorship election, where he contested against the incumbent, Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 
Both candidates hail from the same area, Iperu Remo in Ikenne Local Government Area.
Adebutu claimed that his refusal to engage in violent tactics was a principal factor behind his electoral defeat.
He highlighted incidents where political thugs reportedly disrupted voting processes in 99 polling units across Ogun East and Ogun Central senatorial districts by snatching and destroying ballot boxes.
“The reason why 99 polling booths in the last elections were destroyed was because I refused that my people should repay violence with violence. I cannot be part of the process of spilling blood. This is because I believe life continues after death. I am always being careful,” Adebutu stated.
Despite losing the election with 262,380 votes against Abiodun’s 276,298 and subsequent legal challenges from the tribunal to the Supreme Court, which upheld Abiodun’s victory, Adebutu remains focused on his ethical, political stance.
“I believe in life after death, that is me. That is why you will see in the kind of politics that I play. You will never see violence, you will never see desperation,” he added.
However, the APC has dismissed Adebutu’s comments as mere post-election campaign rhetoric.
APC spokesman Tunde Oladunjoye criticized Adebutu’s comments, suggesting that they were intended to garner popularity ahead of future electoral contests.
“Let him be campaigning after the election. The public knew those who engaged in violence and other criminalities. They are not that forgetful,” Oladunjoye remarked.
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