The Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Olumide Akpata, in the recent election in Edo State, said that some of his party members sold their votes to other parties.
DAILY POST reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Sunday that Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election held on Saturday.
The APC candidate received 291,667 votes, defeating the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who got 247,274 votes.
Olumide Akpata finished third with 22,763 votes.
In an interview on Channels TV, Akpata said that poverty was a big reason for his loss. He said his supporters and even some Labour Party members sold their votes.
Akpata called this situation a tragedy and said it taught him a big lesson about voting for money.
He explained, “Some of my supporters stayed home, but many sold their votes.
“What happened was sad. We should not just focus on Akpata and the Labour Party but look at our whole election system.
“My party members sold their votes. We must look into this closely. They chose money over support. That was a huge lesson. If you think you know people, you might need to think again and look deeper within.”