Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State lost the Government House, Osogbo polling unit to Senator Ademola Adeleke, his closest rival in the election held Saturday.
While Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) polled 117 votes at Agowande/ Oshogbo GRA/ Governor’s office polling unit, Oyetola, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) trailed with 106 votes.
The polling unit is in Olorunda Local Government Area.
However, Oyetola did not vote there.
He voted in his hometown of Iragbiji, Boripe LGA where he beat Adeleke by a wide margin.
Election Monitoring Group, YIAGA Africa has said it received reports of vote buying agents of the All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in some polling units during Saturday’s Osun governorship election.
Addressing newsmen on the group’s Mid-day situational reports on Saturday, Dr Hussain Abdu, the Board Chairman of the group, said the party agents induced voters with various amounts of money.
“For instance, PU 009, Akinlalu Commercial Grammar School, Ward 01 in Ife North, the party agents strategically positioned themselves by the voting cubicle to see how voters marked their ballots.
In PU 003 Opp. Olomu Mosque in Osogbo, PDP party agents were allegedly seen handing out between N2000 and N5000 to induce voters.
“Also, in Disu Polling Unit 003, ward 7 in Orolu LGA, APC agents were allegedly seen distributing N4000 to voters who voted for the party while PDP party agents were also allegedly seen distributing N2000 to induce voters,” he said.
It added that secrecy of the ballots was compromised while some party agents openly intimidated the voters.
“Ward 11, Unit 3, Palace Town Hall (old post office Iree) in Boripe, Yiaga Africa observed voters showing how they mark their ballot papers to APC party agents before dropping them in the ballot box.
“At Open Space-Under Tree, Ojude Oke, PU 010, Iragbiji Ward 4, Boripe LGA, Thugs associated with the APC threatened to stab any voter who did not vote for the APC.
“The voters however insisted on casting their votes for the candidate of their choice. Yiaga Africa also received a report from Ogbagba Village, Ward 11, Pu 013 of a thug/cultist affiliated with the PDP coming to disrupt the process,” it added.
It therefore charged the various security agencies to impose appropriate sanctions for any form of violation of the electoral act, especially any threat to the right to vote or attempts to buy votes.
Yiaga Africa however commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the early arrival of polling officials and materials at the polling unnits
