Court remands APC chieftain over vote-buying

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has remanded Wahab Hammed, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after he pleaded to the offence of vote buying. The anti-graft agency arraigned Hammed before Justice Ismail Ijelu on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy […]

A Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has remanded Wahab Hammed, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after he pleaded to the offence of vote buying.

The anti-graft agency arraigned Hammed before Justice Ismail Ijelu on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and vote buying during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.

The charge was translated for the defendant to Yoruba language after he said he could neither speak nor understand English. He, thereafter, pleaded guilty to the two-count charges.

According to the prosecution counsel, Mr Samuel Daji, the defendant on February 25, 2023, conspired with one Segun Ijitola (who is still at large), to pay voters during the 2023 presidential and National Assembly elections.

Daji said the defendant committed the offence at Unit 28, Gbaja Girls Junior High School, in Surulere. His offences contravened sections 121 (1) and (5); 121 (1) and 1 (3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

The prosecution counsel, however, prayed the court to accommodate the matter on December 7 to enable the commission to fine tune the facts for review.

The defendant’s counsel, Olabiyi Ademola, prayed the court to remand the defendant in the custody of EFCC instead of the custodial centre since the matter would be called on December 7.