The Ekiti state elections are slated to take place today and there are reports that votes are being purchased for around N3,500 and N4,000.
According to the Tribune, some of their sources report that the two major political parties– APC and PDP– are involved in this with there allegedly being a ‘see and buy’policy and an ‘agreement’ policy.
One of the sources said “One of the parties is giving N3,500 with a promise to possibly increase the amount on Saturday during the polls. The other is giving N4,000 to each potential voter.”
According to the Tribune, the reason for the difference in policies is that while one party claims that it has security agencies on its side, the other isn’t sure such funds will be usable today and looked instead to pay off its potential sellers yesterday.
The PDP through its publicity secretary, Mr Jackson Adebayo, said that vote-buying is illegal and that the party has no hand in such a shady activity.
“We in the PDP are relying on the goodwill of the people. The people of Ekiti State have decided that they would vote for the PDP and our candidate despite the challenges, especially the payment of salaries. You know those who bought votes in Edo, in Ondo and in Anambra, they are the desperate, rejected party,” Adebayo said.
Also speaking on the issue, the spokesperson of the John Kayode Fayemi (JKF) Campaign, Mr Wole Olujobi, said that the PDP has been involved in vote-buying and that the political party has been involved in this for the last 3 days.
He added: “we are aware that Ayo Fayose sent N3,000 each to Ekiti workers’ and teachers’ accounts, people Fayose is owing eight months of salaries.”
Things had gotten really heated in the build-up to the election as Governor Fayose was even allegedly teargassed by security agents