The Labour Party candidate in the Edo State governorship election, Olumide Akpata, has cast his vote. Akpata who arrived around 10:30 am at the polling unit 11, ward 6 in Oredo Local Government Area, described his experience as “seamless”.
“For my own process, it was seamless, the machine worked, I was captured and I picked up my ballot paper, I went into the booth, I thumbprint where you would imagine I would thumbprint and so that went well,” he told reporters.
He expressed hope that every other voter in the state would have the same seamless experience as he did.
However, his deputy candidate, Prince Asamah Kadiri, SAN, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of engaging in vote buying during the ongoing Edo State governorship election.
Kadiri, who voted at Auchi Ward 1, Unit 6, alleged that the APC resorted to desperate measures to influence voters, particularly in Auchi and other parts of Edo North.
He disclosed that he witnessed vote buying firsthand in his polling unit, with reports indicating that APC agents were offering N10,000 to voters to secure their support.
“It is sad that the APC is engaging in vote buying in my unit, and reports from across Auchi and the Edo North district show that they are paying N10,000 for votes,” Kadiri stated.
Despite these allegations, Kadiri praised some voters who courageously resisted the APC’s attempts to buy their votes, insisting on casting their ballots for the party of their choice.
He also commended the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the election, though he emphasised that it was too early to give a final assessment of their efforts. He urged INEC to closely monitor its officials in the field to prevent any electoral malpractice.
In a related development, West Africa Weekly reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested three individuals suspected of vote buying in Egor Local Government Area.
The suspects, two men and a woman, were taken into custody. The arrests sparked protests from some residents, who alleged that the suspects were being treated unfairly, according to Daily Trust.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Frank Mba, had previously announced that the police and EFCC were collaborating to prevent vote buying and other electoral offences.
Mba also warned that security forces would take action against individuals involved in producing fake election tags.
Read: #EdoElection: Nigerian Police Force Arrests Two Sponsored Political Thugs
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