Oyebamiji and Adeleke
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party in Osun State have traded accusations of vote-buying and other alleged electoral malpractices ahead of the August 15 governorship election, with both parties calling on the relevant authorities to investigate the claims.
The Osun APC alleged that Governor Ademola Adeleke was planning to induce civil servants, teachers, local government workers and other public employees with a payment of N20,000 each to influence their votes during the election.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the party’s Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the APC claimed the payments would begin reaching workers’ bank accounts from Monday, alleging that the move was aimed at swaying voters in favour of the governor.
The opposition party urged workers not to accept what it described as a “Greek gift,” arguing that the Adeleke administration still had outstanding obligations, including leave bonuses, pension deductions, cooperative deductions, health insurance remittances and trade union check-off dues.
The APC further alleged that paying public workers to influence their voting decisions would amount to vote-buying, an offence prohibited under the Electoral Act and the guidelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party also claimed that some Accord members were seen in Osogbo distributing N10,000 to prospective voters after allegedly compelling them to swear an oath to support Governor Adeleke in the forthcoming election.
It consequently called on INEC, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the allegations and enforce relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.
Reacting, the Osun chapter of the Accord dismissed the APC’s allegations as false, insisting that Governor Adeleke had no reason to induce workers because of what it described as his administration’s record in improving workers’ welfare.
In a statement signed by the Osun Accord Chairman, Pastor Victor Babalola Akande, the party maintained that the governor had earned the confidence of workers through the prompt payment of salaries and pensions, settlement of accumulated promotion benefits inherited from the previous administration, improved welfare packages, promotions and the payment of other outstanding entitlements.
The Accord also accused APC operatives of buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and collecting voters’ Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) from residents across the state over the past two months.
The party further alleged that vulnerable voters were being induced with cash and food items in exchange for their PVC details and PINs, adding that the incidents had already been reported to INEC and security agencies for investigation.
Both the APC and the Accord urged INEC and security agencies to thoroughly investigate the allegations and ensure a credible governorship election in Osun State.
