The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of intensifying vote buying in Edo State, barely three days to the September 19 gubernatorial election in the state.
State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Osa Nehikhare, who spoke on behalf of the state PDP Campaign Council on Wednesday, said: “Our attention has been drawn to a video that has been trending all day on various social media platforms, in which members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were seen distributing wrappers and money to Edo women, in exchange for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).”
Nehikhare added: “We are concerned that after commitments to a free, fair and credible poll, by various stakeholders in the electioneering process, the APC could still embark on schemes aimed at derailing the process through vote buying.
“On Tuesday, we alerted the public to a similar vote buying scheme by the APC with an emergency Federal Government empowerment programme, aimed at obtaining Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from voters, ahead of the poll.
“We noted that the scheme was contrived and packaged to be a pet project of the wife of the candidate of the APC, Prof. Idia Ize-Iyamu, implemented through the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
“We wish to state that any such scheme aimed at sharing money to voters in Edo State at this time, amounts to vote buying and we call on the international community to impose sanctions on officials of government that are behind these schemes designed to induce Edo voters, contrary to the provisions of the Electoral Act.”
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