The candidate of Accord Party in the July 16 Osun State governorship election, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, has called on the international community to sanction the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential flag-bearer, Bola Tinubu, over alleged vote-buying in Ekiti State.
Buying of votes had been reported across many polling units during the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State.
Speaking while receiving the International Observers Pre-Election Team at his party secretariat in Osogbo, Ogunbiyi alleged that Tinubu openly told Ekiti indigenes “No vote, no money” three days to the poll.
He said going by the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he was sure the commission would conduct a free and fair election in Osun.
Ogunbiyi said, “The British Government and the international communities cannot pretend they didn’t know what happened in Ekiti State where money was massively released for vote buying,” he said.
“You heard Tinubu who was aiming at becoming the president of this country was saying. He and others and their families need to be sanctioned. And if he did that in Ekiti and went free, Osun is his state; he will do the worse here.
“I don’t have money to buy vote and I am not a violent person. I joined the governorship race to liberate my people from the economic shackles and poor status quo of the state.
“Do not just observe election, nip election abnormalities and irregularities. Ensure you sanction and prosecute vote buyers, as it was visible to the blind at the previous election of Ekiti State.
“Your function would be valued by fulfilling your objectives to humanity without fear or favour and ensuring peoples’ votes count and electioneering is fair and just in Osun state.
“The votes of Osun state voters should speak for the person they want as their Governor and not by the security challenges or money that will serve as a gag to their neck to disenfranchise them of their choice on the election day.”
While noting that he was confidence of victory going by his campaign, the Accord flag-bearer also complained about violence unleashed by both the APC and the PDP on his party where thugs of the two parties were going around destroying his billboards.