The Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for the Ondo State governorship election, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of engaging in vote-buying by offering ₦10,000 per voter......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Olafeso, who made this claim after voting at his polling unit, 005 Olumekun Compound, Ward 12, Idepe, in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, said the election has been peaceful in his area.
He added, “We have been here since around 8 a.m., and everything appears in line with the electoral law, especially in the area I voted. But our fear is the APC, which has not done anything for the people in the last four years, is muddying up the process by paying N10,000 to each voter. We have witnessed it here, and we have complained, but it appears intractable.
“For us, no matter the kind of profligacy they are introducing into the electoral process, the truth will prevail in the final analysis.
“You know it is a long process, and voting is the first stage. We are waiting for it to be uploaded into IREV, and we are waiting to take our results from the E8CA to ensure that everything is appropriately recorded.
“Like I said, the only fear is the vote-buying the APC is trying to entrench into the culture of voting in Nigeria.”
In a related development, the lawmaker representing Irele/Okitipupa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Jimi Odimayo, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the conduct of Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State.
Odimayo, after voting in his Legumare Unit 001, Anglican Primary School Ward 3, Irele, in Irele Local Government Area, said the election was peaceful, thanks to the efforts of the electoral commission.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Population said, “So far, it has been peaceful, and our people are conducting themselves and are very enthusiastic about the election.
“Let me commend INEC. From what I witnessed today, the commission has improved tremendously. The process was seamless; it took me just about two minutes for the BVAS machine to accredit me before voting. We will urge the electoral commission to improve on the Ondo election.
“The turnout was impressive, and I want to commend our people for coming out in large numbers compared to what we saw in the 2023 general election.”
On the chances of his party, the lawmaker said, “We are going to win because we have worked for it. We are looking at a massive victory for the APC because we don’t have any challenges at all.
“This election is going to be a pointer to what to expect in 2027, and we want to assure our President, Bola Tinubu, that Ondo State is home to massive votes.”