EFCC Operatives Arrest Prominent PDP Member, Others for Inducing Voters

• Nigeria's prominent anti-graft agency, EFCC, has made some arrests regarding vote-buying in the ongoing Ekiti state governorship election
• A chieftain of the opposition PDP, Damola Ojo, was reported to be one of those arrested for allegedly inducing voters
• Babajide Adebayo, the party agent at the polling unit where Ojo was arrested, confirmed he is a PDP member but denied that he was inducing voters

Ekiti state - Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have reportedly arrested a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Damola Ojo for inducing voters at Ola Oluwa Muslim Secondary School, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti state during the governorship election.

According to Vanguard, the party chieftain was arrested with a large sum of money.

The party agent at the Polling Unit Babajide Adebayo confirmed that Ojo is a PDP member but denied that he was inducing voters.

Read also

Ekiti Polls: Major Setback for APC As Biodun Oyebanji May Face Election Tribunal for Electoral Fraud

Adebayo said:

“When EFCC people came, somebody pointed at Ojo, who was standing alone. There was nobody with him, he was not talking to anybody or given money to anybody, he was arrested and whisked away. Ojo is an Engineer, he came to work in Ekiti but I have made calls to tell our leaders about the arrest.”

EFCC operatives were seen in large numbers in some polling units where some major parties were alleged to have engaged in vote-buying

Vanguard reported that a particular party offered, as much as N10,000 to each electorate that voted for its candidate while other parties offered N5,000 and the other party N3,000.

The EFCC operatives declined to speak when approached before whisking the party chieftain to an unknown destination.

Chieftains of other parties lamented vote-buying at the polling units by the three major parties contesting the election.

Read also

Ekiti 2022: Vote buying, ballot snatching surges at polls as INEC maintain clean slate

In a related development, Channels TV reported that the EFCC has arrested persons suspected to be engaged in vote-buying in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship poll.

Some of the suspects were paraded at the Oke Ori Omi Area the Division of the Nigeria Police Force.

The suspects were reported to have been caught with monies allegedly used for vote-buying.

Some other persons were also arrested at a private residence with a book containing details of voters of certain voting area, according to Channels TV.

Legit.ng's correspondent, Aanu Adegun, confirmed that there was massive vote-buying ongoing at the Ekiti governorship election.

A source who spoke with Legit.ng alleged that the ruling APC shared N10,000 in the morning but has scaled it back to N8000 while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is sharing N5000.

Ekiti 2022: Vote-buying, ballot snatching surge at polls

Read also

Legit Poll: Nigerians predict who will win Ekiti governorship election

Meanwhile, mid-day report by Yiaga Africa from the ongoing governorship polls in Ekiti state have confirmed a reoccurrence of voter inducement in some major polling units.

According to a statement issued by the organisation and co-signed by its executive director, Samson Itodo and board member, Ezenwa Nwagwu, some party agents from the ruling party APC were seen dolling out cash to electorates.

The election observer group stated that vote-buying was recorded in Ijeo, Ipoti, Ogidi and Ado-Ekiti.

Source: Legit.ng