Udengs Eradiri, the Labour Party (LP) gubernatorial candidate in today’s election, expressed his dismay at the extensive prevalence of vote buying during the poll. Speaking at Agudama-Ekpetiama after casting his vote, Eradiri revealed that voters had approached him with offers to negotiate, but he steadfastly declined.
“I had hoped that my message against money politics would resonate with the people, but I was wrong. I am deeply disappointed. My greatest disappointment came from a woman in this community to whom I offered a scholarship for her son. She sold her vote for N14,000, and I was disheartened,” he stated.
The LP candidate regretted that despite the initial reception of his ideas by the electorate, there was a shift towards monetary considerations. “We have a long way to go with this country and money politics. I thought I had found a solution, but I was wrong. I did not enter this race to buy votes,” Eradiri asserted.
He went on to highlight that votes were freely traded to the highest bidder, ranging from N12,000 to N40,000 per vote. Eradiri acknowledged that he lacked the financial capacity to compete with the resources of the dominant political parties in the state.
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