The African Democratic Congress candidate in the just-concluded Ondo State governorship election, Myson Nejo, has declared himself a true winner of the poll, despite his defeat.
Nejo, speaking in a telephone interview with The PUNCH on Sunday, attributed his loss to his refusal to participate in the widespread practice of vote buying that he claims marred the election process.
The official results announced by the State Returning Officer, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, showed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress securing a decisive victory with 366,781 votes.
Aiyedatiwa triumphed over his closest rival, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party, who received 117,845 votes, with Nejo finishing far behind.
Despite the outcome, Nejo maintained that he was the rightful winner, insisting that his campaign was free from any unethical practice, including vote buying.
He expressed gratitude for the support he received from Ondo State voters, who he believes chose him despite the absence of financial inducements.
Nejo also voiced serious concerns about the prevalence of vote buying during the election, alleging that votes were being purchased for as much as N20,000.
He condemned the practice, describing it as a significant threat to the integrity of the electoral process.
He said, “The reaction of the people? I thank the good people of Ondo State for voting for me without giving them any money, and they still voted for me. I want to believe that my vote is valid because there was nothing like vote-buying or any unethical practices on my side. So far, I want to believe I’m a winner in this election.”
Nejo further stated, “People were buying votes for N20,000 or N15,000, and in my polling unit, it was N10,000 to N15,000.
“Because I didn’t have money and I told them I wasn’t going to give even a kobo to buy votes, I ended up with only two votes in my unit and about 40 votes in total, but I don’t care. People were calling me, asking for money in exchange for their votes, but I stood my ground. If they want to vote, they should vote. I wasn’t going to give a kobo to buy votes.”
