Ondo poll: Major parties guilty of vote buying — Ajulo

By CHIOMA UGBOMA

Dr Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer and former General Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), says all major parties in the just concluded Ondo State governorship election are guilty of vote buying.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday, Ajulo, an indigene of Ondo, who said he monitored the election, alleged that the major political parties were all involved in influencing voters for the election, using money.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday, declared Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu the winner of the Ondo state governorship election held on Saturday.

Ajulo said that the parties accusing others of vote buying during the election had no moral rights to do so as they were all guilty of it.

“The reported widespread vote buying during the election is true but it’s not restricted to one party.

“The case of vote buying was not only common to the major opposition. The three leading political parties in the election tried in the game of outspending and overreaching one another,” he said.

He further explained that the only difference was the financial strategy, wit and coordination of the political parties involved to facilitate the act.

He, however, said that failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election was its inability to ensure that it presented a united front for the election which negated its chances at winning.

According to the legal luminary, several governors within the umbrella of the PDP  supported the Candidate of the Zenith Labour Congress (ZLP), Mr Agboola Ajayi, who left the PDP for the ZLP after the conduct of the PDP primaries,  where he lost to Eyitayo Jegede (SAN).

He also explained that the PDP would have had a better shot at winning if the party’s flag bearer had emulated the tactic of APC flag bearer who stooped to conquer by making peace with all his old and new adversaries.

“The PDP flag bearer failed to be on the same page with his former Principal, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, and this, unfortunately, helped Gov. Akeredolu’s fortunes as PDP went into the election with a cracked wall,” he said.

Ajulo lauded INEC for the peaceful conduct of the election in the state while also enjoining the body to strive to do better in subsequent elections in the country.

He also urged all those who lost in the election to take it in good faith and join hands to take Ondo state to greater heights. (NAN)