Fayose Claims Accord Party Spent N40bn on Osun Election

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose contends that campaign expenditure by the Accord Party reached a minimum of N40 billion during the August 15 Osun State governorship election. During a video discussion with TVC journalist Nifemi Oguntoye, which circulated on social media Wednesday, Fayose articulated this claim.

The assertion emerged within an ongoing debate sparked by musician David Adeleke's earlier pronouncements; Adeleke serves as nephew to sitting Governor Ademola Adeleke, who ran as the Accord Party's standard-bearer. Previously, David Adeleke had asserted that vote-buying by the All Progressives Congress consumed roughly N110 billion throughout the same electoral contest, while portraying the Accord Party as dependent on community mobilization for victory.

Fayose's response directly contradicts this characterization, asserting instead that spending by the Accord faction was extensive, surpassing thresholds ordinarily mandated by legal statutes. Both the ruling APC and its Accord competitor, according to Fayose's assessment, transgressed the constitutional boundaries governing campaign finance.

His public commentary included no supporting documentation or itemized accounting of the purported N40 billion figure. Additionally, the former governor noted the Adeleke family's established political position within Ede, a significant Osun constituency, as contributing to electoral outcomes.

These allegations constitute an uncommon public disagreement regarding campaign finance disclosure among actors within overlapping political circles, with a prominent opposition voice challenging the expenditure account offered by the victorious party. Campaign expenditure caps are established by Nigerian electoral law, with breaches subject to sanctions under the Electoral Act.

At the moment Fayose made his statements, neither the Accord Party nor relevant electoral authorities had offered formal commentary addressing his allegations.