Ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, businessman Isaac Fayose has raised concerns over an alleged plan to buy votes during the poll.
Fayose, who is the younger brother of former Ekiti State governor Ayo Fayose, made the allegation in a video posted on his official Facebook page on Thursday.
In the video, he claimed that he had received credible information indicating that members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were preparing to induce voters with cash in an attempt to influence the outcome of the election.
The businessman called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to remain vigilant and take proactive steps to prevent any form of electoral malpractice. He urged the anti-graft agency to deploy its personnel across the state and ensure that anyone found engaging in vote buying or other election-related offences is arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
Fayose expressed concern about the state of Nigeria’s electoral process, arguing that the country cannot make meaningful progress if elections are not conducted fairly and transparently. According to him, the will of the people must be respected for democracy to thrive and for credible leaders to emerge through the ballot box.
He stated that many Nigerians have lost confidence in the electoral system because of allegations of vote buying, voter inducement and other forms of manipulation that often accompany elections.
Fayose further noted that the upcoming Ekiti governorship election would provide an opportunity for the EFCC and other relevant agencies to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process.
He maintained that Nigerians would be closely monitoring the conduct of the election and the response of security and anti-corruption agencies to any reports of electoral misconduct.
“We have credible information that these people are planning to buy votes,” Fayose alleged, while calling for strict enforcement of electoral laws throughout the exercise.
