PDP’s Asue Ighodalo Raises Fresh Alarm Over Alleged Crime by APC in Edo, Details Emerge

• As the Edo election 2024 continues, PDP's Asue Ighodalo has said that INEC has no excuse for delivering a free, fair poll considering it is an off-cycle exercise
• Although voting started late in Ighodalo's polling unit, he eventually voted alongside his wife, Ifeyiwan
• Legit.ng reports that Ighodalo lamented that the election update he is getting from Edo state makes him uncomfortable

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Legit.ng journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering politics and governance in Nigeria.

Benin City, Edo state - Asue Ighodalo, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the ongoing Edo state election, on Saturday, September 21, accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of vote-buying.

Legit.ng reports that Ighodalo said he received feedback that APC agents are trying to undermine the electoral process.

Edo election update: Ighodalo tackles APC

Vote buying — an auction in which the voter sells his or her vote to the highest bidder — is considered a crime in Nigeria. Sometimes, violators could be arraigned in court.

Speaking to journalists after he cast his vote at his polling unit located at Idinrio-Okaigben Skill Acquisition Centre, Ewohinmi Ward 1, unit 3, Ewohimi Esan South East local government area (LGA), Ighodalo stated that exit polls show that he is doing very well in the Edo election. He, however, has a complaint.

Ighodalo said:

“We are not comfortable with the little shenanigans that are going on, particularly from the APC guys.

“There are rumours that they are trying to undermine the election process. Many of them have been caught with ballot papers and PVCs.

“The worst is that they go round trying to buy votes. They buy votes for N15,000 to N20,000. They are trying everything to subvert the process."

Legit.ng reports that vote buying is not fundamentally new to Nigeria's electoral politics, but the EFCC has always fumed against it.

Earlier in 2024, Ola Olukoyede, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman, warned against vote buying and selling in Edo state.

Olukoyede stated that violators would be arrested, stressing that "ignorance is not an excuse in law".

Earlier, Ighodalo had raised the alarm over security threats.

He alleged that the police had arrested a party member in Ward 8 Unit 3.

The gubernatorial elections in Edo state are holding today, Saturday, 21, with over 2.2 million permanent voter cards collected.

Igholdalo hopes to shrug off the challenge of Monday Okpebholo (All Progressives Congress), Olumide Akpata (Labour Party), and 14 others.

Read more Edo election updates:

• Edo governorship election 2024: Nigerian prophet shares prediction on winner, 'he is God's choice'
• Edo governorship election 2024: Shehu Sani reacts as INEC says 379,000 PVCs uncollected
• Edo: Prophet Emmanuel predicts win for PDP

Edo: EFCC arrests suspected vote buyers

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the EFCC arrested about three suspected vote-buyers in the off-cycle governorship election in Edo state.

The arrest, in Egor council area, comes after the anti-graft agency vowed to clamp down on vote-buying and related crimes in the Edo election.

A video showing the arrests is trended on X.