𝐎𝐬𝐮𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐥: 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 ₦𝟒𝟎𝐁𝐧, 𝐅𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐨

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has claimed that the Accord Party spent no less than N40bn during the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

Fayose made the claim while responding to comments by Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, who had alleged that the APC spent N110bn on vote-buying during the election.

Davido, who is the nephew of Governor Ademola Adeleke, also claimed that the Accord Party did not spend money during the election and instead relied on the people of Osun State.

Fayose, however, disputed the claim, saying both major parties spent heavily during the election.

He alleged that more than N7.5bn was distributed across local governments and wards shortly before the election, with some wards allegedly receiving a minimum of about N35m.

Fayose did not provide evidence to substantiate the figures he cited, but maintained that both Accord and APC exceeded the legal spending threshold for political parties.

The former governor also referenced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s freezing of accounts linked to the election, questioning why substantial sums were allegedly distributed shortly before the poll rather than months earlier.

Despite the spending allegations, Fayose said the election result remained significant, pointing to the 66,252-vote margin between Ademola Adeleke and APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji.

Adeleke polled 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji secured 444,815 votes. Fayose attributed a significant portion of Adeleke’s advantage to the governor’s strong political base in Ede.

Fayose also dismissed the suggestion that the APC’s choice of candidate alone was responsible for its defeat, arguing that the Adeleke family’s political strength in Ede played a major role in the outcome.

On whether the APC should challenge the result in court, Fayose said he believed the party should do so if it had grounds to contest the figures.

He also argued that the Osun result should not necessarily be interpreted as a major boost for the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, saying opposition parties had failed to unite.