The Peoples Democratic Party has accused the All Progressives Congress of deploying over N35 billion to manipulate the electorate in the just-concluded Ondo State governorship election.
The PDP State Collation Agent, Olaniyi Ogungbuji, made this accusation on Sunday after the announcement of the results.
Speaking on behalf of the PDP candidate, Agboola Ajayi, Ogungbuji said, “This is the end result of the election, but I can tell you that APC as a party deployed over N35 billion to induce the electorate. If this is the future of this nation, I think we are doomed.”
Ogungbuji further alleged that voting did not occur at some polling units in Idanre Local Government Area. He added that the PDP and its candidate would decide on their next steps after a thorough review of the election.
Opposition candidates, including the PDP’s Ajayi and the African Democratic Congress’s Mr. Myson Nejo, have strongly condemned the election, alleging that the All Progressives Congress used financial inducements to secure victory.
The ADC candidate, Mr. Myson Nejo, also decried the level of vote-buying during the election, describing it as alarming. According to Nejo, votes were sold for between N10,000 and N20,000 in some areas, a practice he refused to participate in.
“People were buying votes for N20,000 or N15,000, and in my polling unit, it was between N10,000 and N15,000. But because I didn’t have money and I told them I wasn’t going to give a kobo to buy votes, I ended up with only two votes in my unit and about 40 votes in total,” Nejo revealed.
Despite the poor electoral showing, Nejo stood by his principles, saying, “I thank the good people of Ondo State for voting for me without accepting any money. I want to believe my vote is a valid vote because there was nothing unethical on my side. So far, I want to believe I’m a winner in this election.”
Responding to the accusations, APC’s state agent, Ade Adeogun, dismissed the claims of vote-buying as baseless and lacking evidence. Adeogun noted that the election was heavily monitored by security agencies, leaving little room for malpractice.
“If they had any genuine evidence, they would have reported it to the security agencies, and those involved in vote-buying or inducement would have been arrested,” he argued.
Adeogun described the opposition’s allegations as excuses for their defeat. “They lost the election. They lost woefully, and now they are looking for a straw to hold onto. Without evidence, you can’t just go around making flippant excuses,” he said.
The election, which saw Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC reelected with a landslide victory, has become a focal point of criticism over alleged unethical practices. While the APC denies any wrongdoing, opposition parties insist that the outcome was influenced by financial inducements, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process in Ondo State.