In continuation of the illegal practice of vote-buying that has characterised elections in the country, many political parties participating in today’s governorship election in Osun State have devised new strategies to induce voters.
Our correspondents gathered that in spite of serial denials by the parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have concluded plans to pay between N2,000 and N10,000 per vote. It was also learnt that the parties had since Tuesday distributed the money to the wards and polling units to avoid being stopped by security agencies.
The PDP, it was learnt, planned to give N2,000 to any willing voter in neutral and friendly areas while the amount to be shared to each voter in hostile and very competitive areas could be as much as N5,000.
The “friendly” areas for the PDP are Ede North, Ede South, Oriade, Obokun, Boluwaduro and Orolu Local Government Areas.
A party stalwart and mobiliser for the PDP in the state, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the party had no choice but to make such provisions so it wouldn’t be outplayed by the APC. “You know the APC is in power at the centre and in the state and the party has more governors than the PDP, so they naturally would have more funds from donations. So, we can’t go to bed as if they won’t induce voters,” the source said.
Another source in Osogbo, the state capital, told one of our correspondents, “We have mobilised since early in the week so the security agencies, who may be loyal to the APC, don’t humiliate us.”
Similarly, the APC, it was learnt, may spend up to N10,000 per vote and had voted about N2m per polling unit. A chieftain of the party, who didn’t want his name mentioned, said the election would be keenly contested and that it would be insulting for the party to lose the election
