We did not engage in vote-buying  – Ekiti state Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji says

Ekiti state Governor-elect, Biodun Oyebanji, has said neither he nor his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), engaged in vote-buying alleged to have taken place during last Saturday’s election that he won. 

Speaking with newsmen Monday after being presented to President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, Oyebanji said he never witnessed any vote-buying in the polling unit where he voted. 

He stressed that he won the election based on the performance of the outgoing administration in the state in which he played a prominent role. 

The former Secretary to State Government (SSG) said he canvased for votes using the record of performance of the administration and what he had to offer the people going forward. 

The APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, who accompanied the governor-elect alongside some governors to meet with the President, also reacted to the allegation against the ruling party.

He affirmed that the allegation of vote-buying was being sponsored by aggrieved persons who lost at the poll.

Apart from Adamu, Oyebanji was also accompanied by Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, and Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa State.

The Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; and Senior Special Assistant to the President (Domestic), Sarki Abba, also attended the meeting with the President.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Oyebanji, the APC candidate as the winner of the keenly contested election it conducted on Saturday.

Oyebanji polled 187,057 votes – over 100,000 votes more than that of his closest rival, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who scored 82,211 votes in the election.