Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has claimed that the Accord Party spent at least ₦40 billion during the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
Fayose made the claim in a video interview with TVC journalist Nifemi Oguntoye, posted on the journalist’s X account on Wednesday.
His comments followed an allegation by Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) spent ₦110 billion on vote-buying during the election.
Davido, who is the nephew of the re-elected governor and Accord candidate, Ademola Adeleke, also claimed that the Accord Party did not spend money during the election and instead relied on the support of Osun voters.
Fayose, however, disputed the claim, saying both major parties spent heavily during the poll and that neither side could claim victory solely on the basis of prayers or popular support.
“Accord Party led the opponents. The money that went to that election from the Accord party itself cannot be under N40 billion. I stand to be corrected,” Fayose said.
He further alleged that more than ₦7.5 billion was distributed across local governments and wards shortly before the election.
“Secondly, on Monday, they sent over N7.5 billion to the various local governments. Various wards. The minimum for the wards that got the minimum would be about N35 million,” he said.
Fayose said the alleged allocations were made across wards with between seven and nine polling units, but did not provide evidence to substantiate the figures.
He maintained that both the Accord Party and APC spent beyond the legal spending limit for political parties.
“The fact remains that both parties spent stupendously. They spent beyond the threshold like every other political party,” he said.
Fayose also questioned the timing of alleged financial transfers ahead of the election, referencing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) freezing of accounts.
“The N20 million that went out like a week before the election that prompted the EFCC to freeze their account shows that something is not right. Why don’t you send those to the people six months ago?” he asked.
Despite the alleged spending, Fayose said the election result remained significant, arguing that the margin between the two leading candidates was more important than their overall vote totals.
Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who secured 444,815 votes, giving Adeleke a margin of 66,252 votes.
Fayose attributed a significant portion of the difference to Adeleke’s strong support base in Ede.
“The Adelekes are rooted in their hometown. Omisore or APC has no presence. So courting an Omisore or giving an Omisore the nomination, what would it change? Nothing,” he said.
“Because 66,000 votes differential, 46,000 from Ede alone. You can’t do nothing about it.”
He also rejected the argument that the APC’s choice of candidate was solely responsible for its defeat, saying the Adeleke family’s political influence in Ede was a major factor.
Asked whether the APC should challenge the election result in court, Fayose said, “I think they should go to court.”
He added that the party should contest the figures if it had sufficient grounds to do so.
“I believe it was pirated. That’s what I believe,” he said, referring to the votes recorded in Ede.
Fayose further argued that President Bola Tinubu could have influenced the election in favour of the APC if he had chosen to do so, but opted not to interfere.
He had previously described Tinubu as “magnanimous” in his handling of the Osun election, comparing it with his experience during the 2018 Ekiti governorship election.
Fayose, who remains a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), also rejected the suggestion that the Osun election result had strengthened the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He argued that the opposition’s inability to unite remained a major obstacle to its prospects in the next election cycle.
