Asue Ighodalo, the candidate representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent Edo Governorship Election held on September 21, has firmly rejected claims of his party’s involvement in vote buying.
In an Interview, Ighodalo addressed the allegations that surfaced following the election results. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Sunday that Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emerged victorious with 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo’s PDP secured 247,274 votes, and Olumide Akpata from the Labour Party garnered 22,761 votes.
On Thursday, just five days after the election, INEC’s National Commissioner for Edo State, Rhoda Gumus, awarded Certificates of Return to Governor-Elect Monday Okpebholo and his Deputy, Dennis Idahosa.
Ighodalo, however, accused the APC of engaging in vote buying, claiming that they distributed freshly minted notes ranging from N10,000 to N20,000 in exchange for votes. He asserted that the APC’s actions, with the backing of INEC, undermined the electoral process.
“We did not engage in vote buying whatsoever. Instead, we witnessed APC agents distributing currency directly from the CBN or banks—mint notes—offering bribes of N25,000, N30,000, and even N50,000 per vote. Our supporters confronted them, insisting that they could not buy votes here. I want to be clear: we were not participating in vote buying in any form,” he stated.
Ighodalo emphasized that his campaign did not require such tactics, as they had strong support from the people of Edo State. “If you are confident in your ability to win, you wouldn’t resort to dishonest methods. The APC, with the assistance and complicity of INEC, undermined the democratic process during this election,” he added.
When asked about the possibility of collaborating with the Governor-elect, Ighodalo responded, “Since the mandate has been stolen, I cannot accept any overtures of friendship. I will stand with the people of Edo State, who freely granted me their mandate, and I am prepared to pursue legal action in the courts and the Tribunal to reclaim that mandate and establish a government.”
