Human rights activist Deji Adeyanju has alleged that both Governor Ademola Adeleke’s Accord Party and the All Progressives Congress (APC) engaged in widespread vote-buying during Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
In his social media post on Sunday, Adeyanju asserted that while Adeleke was “extremely popular” and spent heavily, APC spent much more and also engaged in rigging.
“I am sure Adeleke spent a lot of money despite his extreme popularity in Osun but APC spent much more + all the rigging of APC. How do we stop buying of votes in Nigeria? Nigeria is messed up big time but the citizens are not asking the right questions or interested in solutions. They just care about winning of elections.”
Reports from across Osun confirmed Adeyanju’s allegations. Both APC and Accord were accused of offering voters between N10,000 and N20,000, with cash distribution beginning as early as six days before the election.
One party reportedly sent N5 million to each polling unit, giving out a minimum of N20,000 per voter.
In some polling units in Ilesa East, voters were allegedly given as much as N50,000 each. Security personnel were also implicated, with reports that Divisional Police Officers received between N2 million and N5 million from a party in each local government.
In Ila, APC agents reportedly offered N15,000 per eligible voter while Accord agents offered as much as N20,000. One resident said he and his wife collected N20,000 each from Accord leaders.
In Ede, Adeleke’s hometown, Accord reportedly started distributing N10,000 two weeks before the election, initially asking voters to form groups of 100 and offering each group N1 million.
Adeyanju had long warned about the normalization of vote-buying. Speaking on the Mic On Podcast before the election, he predicted that “Osun would become a festival of vote-buying” and that “both sides will attempt to buy votes.”
He also maintained that Adeleke would win if the election was conducted without rigging. “If elections are conducted without political interference and without rigging, I believe Adeleke will win. He is extremely popular and he is on the ground,” he had said.
Adeyanju has consistently criticized what he describes as a system that rewards spending over integrity. He has expressed concern about voter apathy ahead of future elections, noting that “citizens who feel disconnected from the political process may be less motivated to participate.”
His broader critique remains that Nigerians have become more interested in celebrating victory than in demanding how that victory was obtained. As he posted on Sunday, the citizens are “not asking the right questions or interested in solutions.”
Governor Ademola Adeleke secured re-election in Saturday’s poll, winning 19 of 30 local government areas with 511,067 votes.
— Spear News Nigeria
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