APC Vote-Buying Exposed the Ruling Party’s Desperation

For months, ruling party apologists have pushed the false narrative that President Bola Tinubu and the ruling establishment magnanimously “allowed” Governor Ademola Adeleke to win in Osun State. However, a viral video featuring businessman Dr. Adedeji Adeleke—elder brother to the governor and father of music star Davido—has completely shattered that propaganda.

The explosive testimony reveals the staggering extent of APC vote-buying and shows how the ruling party deployed an unprecedented financial war chest to subvert the will of the people.

The ₦60 Billion Allegation and Desperate Inducement

In the viral footage, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke addressed an audience, detailing the extreme measures deployed by the ruling party to secure the governorship seat at all costs.

According to reports published by The Guardian Nigeria, the ruling party reportedly spent an estimated ₦60 billion on election day, offering financial inducements as high as ₦50,000 for a single ballot in key battleground wards.

Adeleke recounted how, upon learning of the massive cash distribution on election eve, he retreated to his room to pray, reading from Isaiah 41:10:

“The only reason why we defeated them is not because we are bigger or spend more money than them. On the election day, they spent ₦60 billion as we heard. In some places, they bought votes for as high as ₦50,000 for one single vote. When I heard the kind of money they were spending, I went back to my little corner in my room, knelt down, and prayed to God: ‘God Almighty, please let people collect their money, but let them still vote for Ademola Adeleke.'”

As detailed by Daily Post Nigeria, the fact that voters took the cash and still voted their conscience demonstrates how deeply ordinary citizens resent corrupt political manipulation.

Weaponizing Hunger and Poverty for State Capture

The scale of APC vote-buying exposed in Osun highlights a ruthless governing style that intentionally impoverishes citizens and then weaponizes their hunger during elections. At a time when millions of Nigerians cannot afford basic food, healthcare, or electricity, deploying billions of naira to bribe voters shows a total lack of empathy and conscience.

Key dangers of unchecked APC vote-buying include:

• Destruction of Democratic Choice: Transforming elections into commercial auctions where the highest bidder attempts to capture public office.
• Looting of Public Treasuries: Recovering billions spent on elections by diverting development funds once candidates take power.
• Erosion of Good Governance: Ensuring elected officials feel zero accountability toward citizens since power was bought rather than earned.
• Perpetuation of Poverty: Keeping the populace in extreme financial hardship so that small cash handouts remain attractive on polling day.

The Myth of Ruling Party Benevolence Is Broken

This revelation permanently puts an end to claims that the APC government possesses democratic maturity or respects electoral fairness. The ruling party did not concede Osun out of goodwill; it was defeated because the people stood firm against financial inducement and voter suppression.

As noted by political analysts in Vanguard News, genuine democratic progress will remain impossible as long as commercialized politics and vote manipulation define national elections.

A Call for Resistance Ahead of 2027

The Osun experience serves as a clear warning ahead of the 2027 general elections. The ruling establishment will stop at nothing to retain power, relying on intimidation, compromised institutions, and aggressive APC vote-buying.

For Nigeria to move forward, citizens must organize, reject transactional politics, and actively mobilize to vote out leaders who treat governance as private enterprise. Only sustained collective action and unwavering electoral vigilance can dismantle state capture and restore integrity to Nigerian democracy.