The Deputy Minority Leader of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Lere Oyewumi, has confessed to partaking in vote buying and selling that characterised the 2023 general elections.
Oyewumi, who represents Osun West Senatorial District at the red chamber, in a viral video, said he gave out money to influence people to vote for him at a particular polling unit in Ikire.
The Senator stated this while welcoming Mr. Tunde Ayandosu, one of the loyalists of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Irewole local government.
Ayandosu, who was the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Ward 4, Irewole Local Government decamped to the PDP alongside his people in Ikire.
Oyewumi noted that he wooed Ayandosu due to his capacity as an opposition member, adding that all efforts to influence the electorate to vote for him at Ayandosu’s polling unit proved abortive.
He said, “I tried all the tricks I knew to win at Onilu’s house (Ile Onilu) polling unit but Ayandosu and his people didn’t allow me.
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“After exhausting money for the election, I gave my personal money to Ten-Ten to give to people at night to influence them but on the eve of the election, Ten-Ten came back with my money, saying the people rejected it.
“That was why I reached out to Ayandosu because I cannot be a Senator and continue to fail there.
“I was the one who called Ayandosu from Abuja to join me in the PDP. I told him he has talent and that the party he was serving then (APC) would not allow him to grow.”
But Oyewumi’s media aide, Mr. T.B Popoola, said the Senator’s statement was quoted out of context, saying he was referring to the campaign period, and not on the election day.
Popoola said: “If you watch the video and listen carefully, you will know that the senator didn’t say he paid people to vote for him. He was just recalling his efforts during campaign period preceding the election. He said when he was looking for votes then, he reached out to these people and even sent money to them. We decided not to react to the APC and other’s comments on it. The senator didn’t pay people to buy votes.”
