The Ondo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday, accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of diverting N20 billion from the state treasury to fund his campaign for last Saturday’s governorship election.
The opposition party pointed out that the alleged funds were used for large-scale vote-buying, with voters reportedly being induced with N10,000 each.
However, the ruling All Progressives Congress swiftly dismissed the allegation, labeling it as baseless and unfounded.
In an exclusive interview with The PUNCH, the Director General of the PDP Campaign Council, Dr. Eddy Olafeso, expressed outrage at what he described as the unprecedented misuse of public funds for electoral manipulation.
Olafeso alleged that the governor’s actions were both criminal and harmful to the state’s financial stability.
“It was money politics. It was vote-buying that assumed a new dimension, that is unheard of, that somebody will lay online almost N20bn of state money for an election, apart from the criminality and the distortion that it can bring about, the people have been entirely very pauperised,” Olafeso claimed.
The PDP campaign chief further criticized the ruling party for exploiting the poverty of the people for political gain, stating that such financial inducements were instrumental in influencing the outcome of the election.
“It’s obvious now that they are using poverty as a weapon for election manipulations and that’s exactly what transpired here in Ondo State. The criminality involved is exactly what we are investigating,” he added.
Reflecting on the PDP’s loss to the APC, Olafeso maintained that the electorate had initially shown a strong inclination to vote for his party but were swayed by the financial incentives offered by the APC.
“The reality is how can you be smart to the point of, as a member of the opposition, rake in almost N20bn for an election and you know it runs contrary to the whole electoral process? We didn’t distribute money for people to vote for us.
“Forty-eight hours to this election, if you are a resident in Ondo State, you know whom the people wanted to vote for until the money influence and, in this extreme poverty, N10,000 means a lot, a world to so many people,” Olafeso said.
Responding to the allegations, the APC’s Director of Media and Publicity in Ondo, Steve Otaloro, refuted the claims and defended the party’s campaign financing methods.
Otaloro stressed that the APC’s financial records were in full compliance with electoral laws and could withstand any scrutiny.
“All these allegations are false and misleading. The funding for our campaign was transparent and in line with electoral regulations. We didn’t use any government funds for our campaign, and we’re confident that our financial records will withstand any scrutiny,” Otaloro stated.
The APC spokesman outlined the sources of the party’s campaign funds, which included contributions from party members, well-wishers, and national headquarters.
“Our campaign was funded through a combination of donations from party members, supporters, and well-wishers, as well as fundraising events and activities. We also received funding from our party’s national headquarters, which is permissible under the Electoral Act,” Otaloro explained.
Reaffirming the party’s commitment to accountability, Otaloro added, “We’re committed to transparency and accountability in our campaign financing, and we’re willing to cooperate with any investigation or inquiry into our financial records.”
The allegations have sparked intense debates within Ondo State, with calls from civic organizations for an independent investigation to ascertain the truth.
