- ADC governorship candidate Najeem has alleged that some of his party agents were not recognised during the election
- He said the issue affected agents in 10 local government areas and had been reported to relevant authorities.
- Salaam also denied vote-buying allegations and expressed confidence in winning the election
The African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Osun State, Najeem Salaam, has raised concerns over the alleged denial of recognition to some of his party’s agents during Saturday’s governorship election.
Salaam, who arrived at his polling unit at about 10:39am to cast his vote, said he received reports that some ADC agents were not being recognised despite the party having submitted their names through the appropriate platform ahead of the election, Eko Hot Blog gathered.
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He alleged that the issue affected ADC agents in about 10 local government areas across the state.
According to him, the presence and recognition of party agents at polling units are crucial to ensuring transparency, particularly during the counting and collation of results.
Salaam said he had reported the matter to the relevant authorities, who were looking into the situation.
He expressed concern that the failure to recognise the party’s agents could affect their ability to monitor the voting and counting processes effectively.
Despite the development, the ADC candidate said the election had generally been peaceful in the areas he monitored and expressed confidence in his chances of emerging victorious.
Salaam said he expected the election to be free and fair, without rigging or manipulation, adding that he trusted God and the electorate to determine the outcome.
The candidate also denied allegations of vote buying involving the ADC following reports that some individuals were arrested for allegedly attempting to purchase votes around his polling unit.
Salaam insisted that the party was not involved in vote buying, saying its campaign had focused on explaining its programmes and allowing voters to make their own decisions.
He said voters should be free to choose their preferred candidate without being influenced through financial inducement.
“Vote buying is out of it. I have never in my life bought votes,” Salaam said.
He added that the choice of who becomes governor should be determined by the electorate rather than the amount of money spent by political actors.
Salaam, who voted at Ward 4, maintained that he remained optimistic about winning the election, citing his faith in God and the support of voters.
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