21/08/2026
Osun Resident Confesses: ‘I Took APC Money But Voted for Accord Party’
An Osun State resident has admitted collecting cash from agents of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, only to cast his ballot for the Accord Party candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke.
The voter said he received ₦20,000 from APC canvassers in the days leading up to the poll. “They gave me the money and told me to vote for their candidate. I collected it because things are hard, but when I got to the polling unit I voted for Accord. My conscience and the performance of the current government guided me,” he stated.
The confession comes amid widespread allegations that both the APC and the Accord Party engaged in large-scale vote-buying across Osun State. Reports indicated that party agents offered between ₦10,000 and ₦20,000 per voter in several local government areas, including Ilesa, Iwo, Osogbo, Atakunmosa East and Ikire.
Governor Adeleke, who defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the Accord Party months before the election, secured victory with 511,067 votes against the APC’s Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815. Adeleke won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas.
The voter account highlights a recurring pattern in Nigerian elections where cash inducements do not always translate into guaranteed support. “Money is temporary,” he said. “What I want is someone who will continue to work for the people. That is why I voted Accord.”
Neither the APC nor the Accord Party has publicly responded to this specific claim. Both parties have previously denied engaging in systematic vote-buying, accusing each other of the practice. Security agencies had warned against electoral inducement in the run-up to the poll, but enforcement remained limited.
The development has reignited debate about the effectiveness of anti-vote-buying measures and the broader challenge of money politics in Nigeria’s democracy.
