₦20,000 for Votes? APC, Accord Face Allegations in Osun

The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party have been accused of embarking on an extensive vote-buying operation across Osun State, with voters allegedly receiving between ₦10,000 and ₦20,000 ahead of today’s governorship election.

The alleged inducement began as early as Monday, several days before voters were due to cast their ballots, according to Saturday Punch. In some communities, party agents reportedly combined cash payments with food items, while some beneficiaries were allegedly made to swear oaths promising to support the candidate of the party that gave them the money.

The development has raised fresh concerns about the election’s integrity, with the police warning politicians and voters that anyone caught buying or selling votes would face arrest and prosecution.

Naija News reports that Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party faces a major challenge from the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, alongside Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and 10 other candidates.

A total of 1,906,390 registered voters who have collected their Permanent Voter Cards are expected to take part in the election.

However, instead of waiting for election day, supporters of the two leading parties allegedly began distributing cash and other materials across several local government areas.

The APC and Accord Party started their respective cash distributions between Monday and Tuesday, although the scale and timing varied from one community to another, according to a Punch report.

The report also cited viral videos showing supporters of Adeleke and Oyebamiji openly distributing cash, rice, salt and other items while appealing to beneficiaries not to betray them at the polls.

In some places, the alleged inducement took a more serious turn, with recipients reportedly asked to swear oaths before collecting the money.

The alleged payments ranged from ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 per voter, depending on the location and political party.

In Ilesa, voters told Punch that APC agents were distributing ₦20,000 to voters across Ilesa East, Ilesa West and Atakunmosa East Local Government Areas.

One beneficiary, who spoke anonymously, said he collected ₦20,000 at the Bonnke area of Ilesa on Wednesday.

“I collected my ₦20,000 at the Bonnke area of Ilesa on Wednesday. The cash was in ₦1,000 and ₦500 denominations. We had over 200 voters, and it was done unit by unit. I collected mine around 11am at the bungalow belonging to one of the APC chieftains in our unit,” he told Punch.

A human rights activist in Ilesa also confirmed the alleged payments.

“At the Coca-Cola area, people were given N20,000 each at one particular storey building. But you have to show your voter card before being paid,” he said.

“At Abiola Avenue, APC members gave N20,000 to each voter. I was there. The storey building where the money was shared belongs to an APC leader in the area.”

Residents also reported similar activity in Iroye and Imo, where APC supporters allegedly distributed rice and cash.

A student leader in Iroye told Punch, “I saw them. They are APC supporters. They provided money and rice, but I don’t know the exact amount they were distributing. They were cursing the beneficiaries, saying it would not be well with them if they failed to vote for AMBO after collecting the money.”

Accord allegedly offered ₦10,000 in several parts of Ilesa.

At Olowu Village in Atakunmosa East, the party reportedly distributed ₦10,000 to voters and asked beneficiaries to swear an oath of allegiance.

Residents also said the party distributed ₦10,000 in Ifofin, Iloro and Okesa areas of Ilesa since Tuesday.

An APC chieftain in Ilesa West confirmed the cash distribution but rejected the description of the exercise as vote-buying.

“We are not buying votes. We only provided them with cash to transport themselves to their various polling units,” he said.