The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in last weekend’s governorship election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, on Thursday alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) bought over voters with mint naira notes during the exercise.
Ighodalo, who featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, said the APC connived with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to undermine the election.
He insisted that PDP did not engage in vote buying during the election.
INEC on Sunday night declared the APC candidate as the winner of the election ahead of his Peoples Democratic Party (PD) rival, Asue Ighodalo
The APC candidate polled 291,667 votes to edge out Ighodalo who garnered 247,274 votes in the keenly contested election.
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The Labour Party flag bearer, Olumide Akpata, finished in third place with 22,763 votes.
Ighodalo said: “We were not involved in vote buying at all. APC agents and other agents came with notes straight from the CBN or from the banks, mint notes, and they were offering N25,000, N30,000, and N50,000 per vote.
“What our guys did was to go to them and harass them and tell them that you can’t come here to buy votes. But we did not engage in vote buying in any way, I’m clear about that.
“We didn’t even need to go and buy votes. The people of Edo State were solidly with us, solidly. It’s only when you’re not sure of your capability you cannot perform. That’s when you do underhand things. And APC, through this election, with the connivance, complicity and support of INEC, undermined the whole democratic process.”
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