Keyamo says incidences of vote-buying in Ekiti election not synonymous with only APC

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Saturday arrested some suspects for engaging in vote buying in the Ekiti governorship election.

The suspects were seen in a video published by Channels Television with packages containing money and books containing details of voters in certain polling units, as EFCC operatives raided a building to arrest them.

Some of the suspects were paraded at Oke Ori Omi police division.

Earlier, Kemi Elebute-Halle, governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Ekiti, alleged that other political parties are inducing voters with money in the ongoing election.

“At my polling unit here, ward 10, unit eight, we are aware that APC has started buying votes for the sum of N10,000; PDP are buying for N5,000 and SDP for N3,000,” Elebute-Halle said.

Also, Segun Oni, SDP governorship candidate, said he received reports of vote buying in Oye LGA of the state.

“I have received reports of vote buying in Oye,” Oni said.

Reacting to the development, the minister of state for labour and employment, Festus Keyamo, said reports of voting-buying is not solely synonymous to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

In a Twitter post on Saturday, Keyamo said reports suggesting that the APC was involved in mass vote buying and selling in the polls, are only subtle messages passed across by opposition parties, all in a bid to see that the ruling party loses the election.

“Incidences of vote-buying can’t be synonymous only with the ruling party, but the subtle message the other parties try to pass to the gullible is that only the ruling party engages in illegalities & that the only way an election can be deemed credible is if the ruling party loses,” Keyamo lamented.