While the Ruling APC Party rejoice in Celebration of the successful reelection of their Candidate, Aiyedatiwa,as the Governor Of Ondo State, One of his Counterparts , African Democratic Congress (ADC) strongly condemned the Ondo State electoral process, citing the widespread of Vote Buying as an attribute which influenced the election result.
He further claimed that his refusal to engage in this practice led to his defeat as this practice undermined the democratic process and de legitimized the election process.
According to Punch Newspaper, the ADC Candidate,through a phone interview, acknowledged that he was pleased with himself despite losing the election.
“The reaction of the people? I thank the good people of Ondo State for voting for me without giving them any money, and they still voted for me. I want to believe that my vote is valid because there was nothing like vote-buying or any unethical practices on my side. So far, I want to believe I’m a winner in this election”.
Shedding more light on the alarming issue of vote buying during the recent election, Nejo revealed that votes were being purchased for a staggering N20,000.
“People were buying votes for N20,000 or N15,000, and in my polling unit, it was N10,000 to N15,000”.
“Because I didn’t have money and I told them I wasn’t going to give even a kobo to buy votes, I ended up with only two votes in my unit and about 40 votes in total, but I don’t care. People were calling me, asking for money in exchange for their votes, but I stood my ground. If they want to vote, they should vote. I wasn’t going to give a kobo to buy votes.” Nejo added.
The State Returning Officer, Prof Olayemi Akinwumi, Prof Olayemi Akinwumi who unveiled the final election results, declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa the winner with 366,781 votes, significantly ahead of Ajayi Agboola’s 117,845 votes.
Aiyedatiwa , a returning governor in Ondo State , emerged victorious across 18 Local Government Areas of the state.
Eniola Jolaoso