The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in last Saturday’s Edo State governorship election, Barrister Olumide Akpata, has characterized the September 21 election as a bazaar, where the leading political parties engaged in vote-buying from the electorate, alleging that members of his political party also participated in selling their votes.
Akpata made these claims during an appearance on Channels Television, where he accused the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress of orchestrating widespread vote-buying, asserting that officials from these two parties procured no less than 300,000 votes.
He stated: “I am not saying we won the election; I am saying there was no election; there was a transaction. By our estimate, about 300,000 votes were bought by the two parties, actively participating in that bazaar. That is enough to sway any election.”
He pointed out that while some voters chose to stay home, a significant number turned out to sell their votes, noting, “Members of my party sold their votes.”
Akpata decried the situation, describing it as a tragedy and emphasizing the need to scrutinize the electoral process.
“Let us remove Olu Akpata and Labour Party and interrogate our electoral process. It is something we must look into closely,” he remarked.
The Labour Party candidate expressed astonishment at how the electorate responded to the rampant vote-buying.
He likened the voters to prisoners who have developed an attachment to their captors, adding that he was surprised by their willingness to succumb to financial inducements from the political parties.
Despite the Labour Party running a vigorous campaign and understanding that the people genuinely sought change, Akpata noted that they ultimately yielded to more potent pressures.
“I was taken aback by the reaction of the people. The captives who are in love with their captors. That one left me a little bit dumbfounded because I did not expect that reaction from the people,” he explained.
Akpata further elaborated on the campaign’s intent, stating, “We campaigned vigorously around the state and I know that the people really wanted to see change. But in the face of inducement of that magnitude, apparently, they capitulated.”
He admitted uncertainty regarding the electoral process but maintained confidence in the populace, only to see them opt for the freshly minted cash presented to them.
He added, “The papa, mama, pickin that we thought would come out and say enough is enough, as they told us when we campaigned; when they came and found there was so much money on the table, every other consideration was out of the window,” lamenting the electoral outcome.
The former president of the Nigeria Bar Association concluded by reflecting on the broader implications of the election, stating that the pervasive poverty and misery in the country have led the people to struggle to connect their current plight with those responsible for it.
“For me, that was a big lesson to learn. That if you think you know the people, you have to think again,” Akpata remarked, highlighting the need for a deeper understanding of the electorate’s motivations and challenges.
