Ondo Poll: Vote-buying, dent on political system

Vote buying and selling

A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Kolade Akinjo, has described vote-buying, allegedly characterised Saturday’s governorship election in Ondo State, as “a dent on the state’s political system’’.

Akinjo, member representing Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency, told newsmen on Sunday in Ilaje that the governorship election was marred by series of irregularities.

He blamed the political class for mortgaging the future of the citizens through buying their conscience over with stipends which, he said, “is against democratic process’’.

He lamented that the manner, in which the electorate were collecting money before casting their votes showered the level of hunger and poverty in the land.

“The governorship election is marred with lots of irregularities and vote-buying which have cast a dent in the political system in the state.

“At this level of civilisation in the state, vote-buying can still resurface to hijack a democratic electoral process.

“That is why we need to do our best when we are in the position of authority because if we have done our best, it will be needless buying the votes and conscience of the electorate.

“The electorate has collected stipend and votes against their conscience; they should not complain of bad governance because they have traded off their powers,’’ Akinjo said.

He, however, urged the political class not to truncate the democratic process in the country, urging them to do their best for the masses to enjoy the dividends of democracy.

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, of All Progressives Congress (APC), is in the early lead against his opponents, Eyitayo Jegede of PDP and Agboola Ajayi of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared at the collation centres in 12 local government areas, as the tile of filing this report, Akeredolu won the election in nine local governments while Jegede won in three.