A political group linked to Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the 2023 Ogun State governorship election, has harvested voter identification numbers (VIN) under the guise of conducting an empowerment programme in Sabo Alagbomeji, Abeokuta North Local Government Area.

On Friday, a group known as Ajadi Independent Movement (AIM) organised an event supposedly aimed at financially assisting community members. Attendees were given N500 each and, in return, asked to submit their voter identification numbers (VINs) and account numbers.

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Two sources present at the programme confirmed that the group collected voter cards or VINs from the supposed beneficiaries. A source who spoke to FIJ had this to say about the programme:

“They said their plan was to help people in the community with money. They collected the account numbers and voter identification numbers of the attendees. They are doing this by collecting the voter cards of the attendees, scanning them and giving them N500 each. Is that a normal thing?”

Meanwhile, Oguntoyinbo is not the only Ogun politician linked to AIM. Imoleayo Shola Idowu, the convener of the movement, contested under the NNPP in 2023. He wanted to represent Abeokuta South Constituency in the National Assembly.

In 2020, Idowu contested to represent the Lagos East Senatorial District under the aegis of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He had appeared on the political frontline earlier in 2018. At that time, he ran to represent Kosofe Federal Constituency in the state house of assembly under the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

FIJ has identified Idowu as a key figure in Oguntoyinbo’s political team. In February, for instance, the NNPP named Idowu as part of Oguntoyinbo’s entourage to Edo State in his capacity as the secretary of the party’s election committee during the Edo governorship election.

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Oguntoyinbo has been outspoken against electoral irregularities. For instance, he called out the All Progressives Congress (APC) for vote-buying at his voting unit in Ofada Ward during the 2023 Ogun governorship election.

According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the VIN provides access to the full details of a card holder. It is also useful for verifying the voting status of a person. In the last presidential election, the VIN helped voters locate their polling units.

On June 24, FIJ wrote to Oguntoyinbo through e-mail, SMS and WhatsApp, but as of press time, the messages have not been responded to. FIJ also wrote to Idowu, the convener of AIM, on Facebook on the same day, but he has not responded.