Osun: Fayose stirs debate over campaign spending

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has stirred debate over campaign spending in the August 15 Osun State governorship election, alleging that the Accord Party spent more than ₦40 billion.

His remarks came in a video interview with TVC journalist Nifemi Oguntoye, shared on X.

The comments followed claims by Afrobeats star David Adeleke (Davido), nephew of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of spending ₦110 billion on vote‑buying.

Davido insisted that the Accord Party relied solely on voters support rather than financial inducements.

Fayose countered, asserting that both parties poured vast sums into the contest.

He alleged that ₦7.5 billion was distributed across local governments and wards days before the election, with some wards receiving as much as ₦35 million. However, he offered no evidence to substantiate the figures.

“The fact remains that both parties spent stupendously. They spent beyond the threshold like every other political party,” Fayose said, adding that campaign finance rules were breached.

He also referenced the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s freezing of accounts after a ₦20 million transaction, questioning the timing of such disbursements.

Despite concerns over spending, Fayose acknowledged the decisive role of Adeleke’s stronghold in Ede, which delivered 46,000 votes of the 66,000 margin separating him from APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji.

Adeleke won with 511,067 votes against Oyebamiji’s 444,815.

Fayose dismissed suggestions that APC’s choice of candidate was the sole reason for defeat, pointing instead to the entrenched political influence of the Adeleke family.

He advised the APC to challenge the result in court, describing the vote tally in Ede as “pirated.”

He further argued that President Bola Tinubu could have swayed the outcome but chose not to, calling the President “magnanimous” in his approach compared to his own experience in Ekiti’s 2018 election.

Fayose downplayed the opposition’s prospects in 2027, stressing that their inability to unite remains a critical weakness.

“The only thing that can give them hope has passed, which is they coming together. They have failed to come together, and they cannot retrieve that back,” he said.