There were allegations and counter-allegations of money-induced voting levelled against each other by politicians in the conduct of Saturday governorship election in Ekiti.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondents, who monitored the election reported that incidences of vote-buying were recorded in many polling centres visited.
Concerned individuals, who are also voters, alleged that some people believed to be working for politicians suddenly arrived at various polling centres and offered money to induce those already on queues to vote for their candidates.
They, however, claimed that such offers were not done in the open, as they used to be in the past, apparently to avoid the attention of eagle-eye security men on duty.
NAN gathered that they quietly invited the prospective voters to a corner, a little far away from the voting unit, to collect the money.
It was learnt such development was prevalent in Ado-Ekiti and Ikole-Ekiti among many other major towns.
It was gathered that a minimum sum of between N5,000, N7,000 and N10,000, was allegedly shared with the willing voters.
A voter, who is also a former Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, confirmed the development to newsmen at his Isaba-Ekiti hometown, in the Ikole-Ekiti Local Government area.
He said that monies were freely shared by some party loyalists, but refused to mention the identities of the parties involved.
However, many of the voters interviewed said vote-buying was recorded in many polling centres in the governorship election.
The electorate, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that some party officials were going round the polling boots to induce the electorate into queues with money.
Contrary to the allegation, the electorate at Ikogosi-Ekiti, the country home of Mr Biodun Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, said there was no trace of vote-buying in the areas while voting was going on.
NAN correspondent who monitored the exercise in Ikogosi-Ekiti and its environs gathered that the electorate conducted themselves in a peaceful manner.
Some of the electorates told NAN at different polling units in Ikogosi-Ekiti, that they voted for the candidate of their choices without collecting any dime from any party agent.
Commenting, Mrs Bosede Ige, said that the age of collecting money before voting had gone in Ekiti. Ige said.
“I can’t trade my future over a token of money. I am here to exercise my civic rights as an electorate.
“I urge other electorates to vote according to their consciences and ignore any monetary inducement from the politicians,â€
