Accord Party candidate alleges widespread vote-buying
Opeyemi Falegan, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party in the Ekiti State governorship election, has alleged that opposition parties are buying votes at N20,000 per ballot. He also claimed that security agents are complicit in the practice, allowing the transactions to occur unchecked.
Falegan, 41, a businessman and philanthropist, emerged as the Accord Party flagbearer in November after winning the party's primary. He cast his vote in the Idofin area of Ado-Ekiti and took to Facebook to voice his concerns.
Candidate condemns democratic process
“I have just exercised my civic responsibility by casting my vote in the Ekiti State Governorship Election as a candidate at my polling unit in Idofin, Ado-Ekiti. It was really sad to see vote buying everywhere at 20k per vote and security agents synergizing with those acts,” Falegan wrote.
The candidate condemned the act, stating that it undermines democracy. “This doesn’t reflect what a good democratic process should be. I hereby condemn this process and conclude no election in Ekiti State,” he said.
Accusations against INEC and APC
In a subsequent post, Falegan criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). “BIVAS is not working, INEC, shame on you. Now they wanna do manual voting. This is fraud, and APC is writing numbers. There is no election in Ekiti state,” he alleged.
At the time of reporting, Falegan had not responded to questions about which specific party was involved in the alleged vote-buying.
Candidate profile and campaign priorities
Falegan, one of the youngest candidates in the race, holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Wales, Cardiff. He is known for his philanthropic work through the OD Foundation. Running with running mate Omoyemi Olaleye, his campaign focuses on youth employment, healthcare improvement, economic growth, and social welfare programmes.
