By Opeyemi Adelakun
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has alleged that the Accord Party spent at least N40bn during the August 15 Osun State governorship election, disputing claims that the party won without relying on financial inducements.
Fayose made the allegation in a video interview with TVC journalist, Nifemi Oguntoye, published on the journalist’s X account on Wednesday.
His comments came in response to Afrobeats singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, who had alleged that the All Progressives Congress spent N110bn on vote-buying during the election.
Davido, a nephew of the re-elected Osun State Governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, had also argued that Accord did not engage in vote-buying but relied on the support of the electorate.
Fayose, however, rejected the claim that either of the two leading parties won solely through popular support, prayers or other non-financial factors.
“Accord Party led the opponents. The money that went to that election from the Accord Party itself cannot be under N40 billion. I stand to be corrected,” he said.
The former governor further alleged that over N7.5bn was distributed to various local governments and wards shortly before the election.
“Secondly, on Monday, they sent over N7.5 billion to the various local governments. Various wards. The minimum for the wards that got the minimum would be about N35 million,” he alleged.
Fayose did not, however, provide evidence to substantiate the figures.
He maintained that both Accord and APC spent beyond the legally permitted limits during the election.
“The fact remains that both parties spent stupendously. They spent beyond the threshold like every other political party,” he said.
Fayose also questioned the timing of financial transfers reportedly made shortly before the election, referencing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s freezing of accounts.
He argued that the movement of funds shortly before the poll raised questions about the purpose of the payments.
The August 15 election was won by Adeleke, who secured 511,067 votes, defeating APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes. Adeleke won by a margin of 66,252 votes.
Fayose argued that the result could not be explained solely by the choice of APC candidate, pointing instead to the Adeleke family’s longstanding political influence in Ede.
“The Adelekes are rooted in their hometown. Omisore or APC has no presence,” he said, adding that about 46,000 of Adeleke’s winning margin came from Ede.
He also advised the APC to challenge the election result in court if it believed there were grounds to do so.
“I think they should go to court,” Fayose said.
However, he offered no evidence for his own claim that the Ede results were manipulated, saying, “I believe it was pirated.”
Fayose further said President Bola Tinubu could have influenced the election in favour of APC but chose not to do so. He described the President’s handling of the poll as “magnanimous”, comparing it with his experience during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election.
On the implications of the Osun election for the 2027 general elections, Fayose dismissed suggestions that the result had significantly strengthened the opposition’s prospects.
According to him, the opposition’s inability to unite remains its major weakness.
“The only thing that can give them hope has passed, which is they are coming together. They have failed to come together, and they cannot retrieve that back. That is certain,” he said.
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