Edo Poll: Akpata Kicks, Alleges Vote-buying, Intimidation

The candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the just-concluded Edo State governorship election, Olumide Akpata on Monday stated that the exercise was marred with massive voting buying, describing it as a ‘transaction’ rather than an election.

Akpata said his Campaign Organisation is carrying out a thorough analysis of the exercise with a view to determine the possibility of challenging its outcome at the Tribunal.

Briefing newsmen in Benin City on the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election, Akpata said, although the election was largely free from historical forms of election-day malpractice such as ballot box snatching and stuffing, it was nevertheless marred by voter intimidation and the falsification of results.

The former President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) accused both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of widespread vote-buying scheme.

Akpata asserted that his party steadfastly refused to engage in the ‘cash and carry’ election as it did not budget to compete with the two political parties, “whose governors perhaps may have dipped their hands into the States’ treasuries to provide the war chest for the show of shame.

“Even if we had the resources, we lacked the inclination to participate in such a perversion of democracy. Nothing illustrates this principle more clearly than the loss of my own polling unit. If I were so inclined, I could have easily mustered enough cash to secure enough votes to win my poling unit. But that is not the path we chose.

“Instead, we remained faithful to our belief in the sanctity of the ballot and the inalienable right of our people to freely choose their leaders without coercion or inducement. This was not political naivety, but a testament to our unwavering commitment to true democracy where a vote’s value lies in its power to effect change, not in the amount of Naira it can command.

“We reserve our strongest condemnation for those who engaged in vote buying – the APC and PDP. Their actions have directly contributed to the destruction of our state’s economy over the past 25 years, creating the enabling environment for this democratic sacrilege to thrive. This election has laid bare the stark reality that our political landscape is dominated not by ideologies or the people’s will, but by those with the deepest pockets and the most extensive networks of influence.

“I hold no sympathy for the PDP, who now cry foul after being outmaneuvered in this macabre game of thrones. They willingly participated in the bidding war with the APC, fully aware of the rules from the outset. Their lamentations ring hollow in the face of their own complicity in this democratic travesty,” Akpata said.

The LP candidate added that for the APC and the Governor-elect, their actions have undermined the democratic process, betrayed the trust of the very people they seek to lead, and eroded faith in the democratic institutions.

According to him, “this is the legacy that will overshadow their ill-gotten mandate. Their “grab, snatch, and run” playbook is akin to riding on the back of a tiger and will ultimately be the source of their undoing.”

He pledged to remain committed to providing services to the people despite the outcome of the election, saying, “We remain steadfast in our commitment to building a democracy that works for all, not just the highest bidder.

“We continue to envision an Edo State, and a Nigeria, where ideas triumph over Naira, where the collective will of the people shapes our future, and where every citizen feels the impact of good governance in their daily lives.

“To achieve this vision, we must push for comprehensive electoral reform. We need to leverage technology to create foolproof systems that make vote buying not just difficult but impossible. We must aso address the root causes that make our people susceptible to vote-selling.

“This means creating economic opportunities, improving education, and building a society where citizens do not feel compelled to mortgage their future for immediate gains,”Akpata said.