Mr Steve Otaloro, Director of Media and Publicity of the All Progressives Congress in Ondo State and member of the Media and Publicity Committee for Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s Campaign Council. He tells PETER DADA that PDP’s vote-buying allegations are baseless
The Independent National Electoral Commission declared Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC winner of the Ondo election. What is your reaction on the victory?
To start with, let me say we are very humble with the enormous support we received from the Ondo State electorate. Our landslide victory in the just-concluded election is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our team, as well as the trust the people of Ondo State have in our leadership. We ran a grassroots campaign, engaging with voters and listening to their concerns. Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa’s message of progress and development resonated with the people, and we’re grateful for their support. We also invested heavily in voter education and sensitisation, ensuring that our supporters were aware of the voting process and the importance of exercising their franchise. Our campaign team worked tirelessly to mobilise voters, distribute our campaign materials and provide logistics to our agents at the polling units. Furthermore, our party’s performance in the state over the years has been impressive, and we were able to build on that momentum.
The PDP alleged that the APC was involved in massive vote-buying, that you purchased a vote for as much as N10,000. What is your reaction to that?
These allegations,from wherever they come from, are completely false and baseless. We deny any involvement in vote-buying or other electoral malpractices. Our campaign was focused on issues and ideas, not on buying votes. We’re confident that the electoral process was free and fair, and we’re proud of our victory. We’re not surprised by these allegations, as they’re familiar tactics employed by the opposition to discredit our party and undermine the electoral process. However, we’re confident that the evidence will speak for itself, and we’re willing to cooperate with any investigation or inquiry into these allegations. That we purchased a vote for as much as N10,000 is a ridiculous allegation with no evidence to back it up. Unfortunately, the PDP has resorted to peddling unfounded allegations and conspiracy theories. We challenge the PDP or any opposition party to provide evidence to support their allegations. If they have any credible evidence, they should present it to the relevant authorities. Otherwise, they should retract their allegations and apologise for spreading falsehood.
How did your party fund the campaign and the election because it was alleged that the governor took N20bn from the government purse to fund the election?
As I said, these allegations are false and misleading. The funding for our campaign was transparent and in line with electoral regulations. We didn’t use any government funds for our campaign, and we’re confident that our financial records will withstand any scrutiny. Our campaign was funded through a combination of donations from party members, supporters, and well-wishers, as well as fundraising events and activities. We also received funding from our party’s national headquarters, which is permissible under the Electoral Act. We’re committed to transparency and accountability in our campaign financing, and we’re willing to cooperate with any investigation or inquiry into our financial records.
Is the party worried about looming litigations from the opposition parties?
We’re not afraid of any litigation as this will not be the first time PDP took us to court and lost. We are very confident that our campaign was conducted in accordance with the law. We’re prepared to defend our victory in court if necessary, but we’re also open to reconciliation and working with the opposition parties to move our state forward. We believe that the electoral process for this governorship election was free and fair, as it was attested to by local and international observers, including YIAGA Africa, and we’re confident that the evidence will speak for itself. We’re not intimidated by the threat of litigation and are prepared to face any challenges that may arise. We urge the opposition parties to accept the outcome of the election as they should admit that they performed woefully, losing the entire 18 LGs. The PDP should be prepared to support Governor Aiyedatiwa to build a better future for our state. We’re committed to reconciliation and are willing to engage in dialogue with the opposition to find common ground and move our state forward.