>
Some local observers in the Osun State governorship election on Saturday revealed that three of the leading political parties taking part in the election engaged in vote buying during the polls.
The observers who made the revelation during a visit to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Gboyega Oyetola in Iragbiji, commended the ruling party for not paying for votes.
Leader of the group, Comrade Richards Adebayo, said his team members observed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Party (ADP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP) offered N1,500, N2,000 and N3,000 respectively to induce votes in some communities.
Adebayo however said the election was peaceful in the communities they monitored. Commending INEC for improving on the record set in the 2014 election, the election observer expressed gladness at the huge turnout of voters in Osogbo, Iwo, Iragbiji, Ede, Ejigbo and other areas.
“In this election, we observed that people were happy to come out and vote for the candidate of their choice. The card readers worked generally well except in few polling units. We have to commend INEC for that. In the last election (2014), many people were not happy because of the situation at the time. But today, people moved and cast their votes freely. As observers, we are encouraged that the electoral process is improving”, he said
In his response, Oyetola pointed out that the improvement in the electoral system confirmed that democracy was growing in Nigeria.
He posited that the situation would have been otherwise if the PDP was in charge of the Federal Government.
His words: “But we are peaceful people who allow everyone to follow their conscience in an election. I will continue with that culture if I win this race. You cut corners when you are not sure of yourself. Vote buying is a sign of weakness; it shows you are not sure of winning. We don’t have anything to fear because the APC government has done well. That is why our people want us to continue. We have done massive infrastructural renewal, offered good education, security, social protection for the vulnerable and less privileged. Another novel project of our administration is our support for people with mental il-health. We take care of them and re-integrate them into their families. If we win, we will continue with the free meal for school pupils.”
The APC candidate also commended security agencies for their effectiveness during the exercise.