Olumide Akpata, the Labour Party candidate in the Edo governorship election, has condemned the widespread vote-buying and voter apathy that marred the poll. In a statement on Monday, Akpata described the election as “a transaction, not an election,” following the declaration of APC’s Monday Okpebholo as the winner.
Akpata cited reports from YIAGA Africa, a civil society observer group, stating that the electoral process became a “bidding war for votes.” He added that the low voter turnout allowed vote-buying to dominate, effectively disenfranchising many Edo residents.
Although the election was free from historical malpractices like ballot box snatching, Akpata noted issues of voter intimidation, falsified results, and alarmingly low turnout. He blamed the APC and PDP for reducing the process to a competition for votes.
Akpata thanked his supporters and vowed to continue the fight for good governance, transparency, and accountability.
