By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
The 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, has asked Governor Dapo Abiodun to stop using the state power to persecute him any further.
Adebutu said the latest “Notice of Default” pasted on his property at Ode Remo area by the State Ministry of Finance on the watch of Governor Abiodun undermined the court process on the matter.
He added that it was also a ploy to silence and harass the opposition into submission.
Speaking through Afolabi Orekoya,
Director of Media and Publicity,
Ladi Adebutu Development Organization in a release on Monday evening, the former federal lawmaker noted that the matter of land use and amenity charge on his property had been before the State High Court of Justice sitting in Sagamu since 2018 and currently the subject of two separate suits.
Citing the suits as HCS/275/2018 – Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu vs. Land Use and Amenities Charge Committee, Ogun State Ministry of Finance, Abeokuta, coming up on October 8, 2025 and the pending HCS/409/2024 – Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu vs. Land Use and Amenities Charge Committee, Ogun State Ministry of Finance, Abeokuta, Adebutu said that it would be an action in contempt of the judiciary for Dapo Abiodun – led state government and its agents to attempt to enforce charges that were still subjects of contestation in courts.
He argued the state ministry of finance lacked the competence to unilaterally impose land use charges without proper assessment of the property in line with the Land Use and Amenities Charge laws of Ogun State, stressing that in the particular case, the so-called notice pasted on his property was merely carried out without due process, hence the ongoing litigation.
Efforts to get the Ogun State government to comment on the harassment and intimidation allegations have not been successful, but when similar allegations were made earlier in November 2024 by same Adebutu, the government through the Special Adviser to Governor Dapo Abiodun on Information and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, described it as “the rantings of a drowning man.”
However, the statement by Adebutu’s aide reads in full:
“The attention of the Ladi Adebutu Development Organization has been drawn to a Notice of Default posted on one of Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s properties located at Ode Remo in Remo North Local Government by Ogun State Ministry of Finance under the watch of Governor Dapo Abiodun undermining court process on same matter.
We state categorically that these devilries are nothing but ploy by the government to silence and harass the opposition in Ogun State. This latest move is a clear misuse of state power to intimidate the opposition particularly, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu and a distraction from the administration’s failure to deliver good governance to the people.
For the record, the matter of land use and amenity charge on the said property has been before the High Court of Justice, Sagamu since 2018 and currently the subject of two separate suits quoted below:
1. HCS/275/2018 – Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu vs. Land Use and Amenities Charge Committee, Ogun State Ministry of Finance, Abeokuta, coming up on October 8, 2025.
2. HCS/409/2024 – Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu vs. Land Use and Amenities Charge Committee, Ogun State Ministry of Finance, Abeokuta, still pending without a date fixed.
It is therefore laughable and contemptuous of the judiciary for the Government and its agents to attempt to enforce charges that are already being contested in competent courts of law.
We must remind the public that, by law, the Ministry of Finance cannot unilaterally impose land use charges without proper assessment of the property in line with the Land Use and Amenities Charge laws of Ogun State. In this particular case, the so-called notice was merely posted on the property without due process, hence the ongoing litigation.
The Ladi Adebutu Development Organization condemns this reckless abuse of power and calls on Governor Abiodun’s government to stop weaponizing government agencies against perceived political opponents. Ogun State would be better served if the same energy was channeled into providing quality governance, infrastructure, and real service to the people.
We urge the good people of Ogun State to see through this intimidation tactic and remain resolute in the face of tyranny. Democracy cannot thrive where opposition voices are silenced through harassment and illegal enforcement actions.”
Afolabi Orekoya,
Director of Media and Publicity,
Ladi Adebutu Development Organization
September 1, 2025.
