Osun APC alleges N20,000 palliative is vote-buying ahead of the governorship election, while the state government defends the payments as welfare support
The Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke of using the disbursement of N20,000 palliatives to workers and other beneficiaries as a disguised vote-buying scheme ahead of the 15 August governorship election.
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In a statement issued in Osogbo on Wednesday, Oluremi Omowaiye, Head of the APC Governorship Campaign Council’s Media and Publicity Committee, alleged that the payments were politically motivated and designed to influence voters rather than provide genuine economic relief.
The Osun APC alleges N20,000 palliative is vote-buying just days before voters head to the polls, calling on relevant authorities to investigate the disbursement and determine whether public resources were used in breach of electoral laws.
According to Omowaiye, thousands of civil servants and other residents received N20,000 directly into their bank accounts shortly before the election, a development the opposition party said raised questions about the timing of the payments.
“The timing of the payments raised concerns over the intention behind the exercise. The government is attempting to sway public support with public funds in the build-up to the election,” Omowaiye said.
The APC further claimed that members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) serving in Osun, who normally receive N5,000 monthly support from the state government, also received N20,000 during the latest round of payments.
The opposition also criticised the Adeleke administration for allegedly failing to settle outstanding financial obligations to workers, including contributory pension remittances and cooperative deductions, while proceeding with the palliative programme.
Omowaiye alleged that although the state government made provisions in the 2025 budget to clear gratuity arrears, many pensioners were yet to receive the payments.
“The government is resorting to direct vote-buying through public funds. Most shocking is that these payments are allegedly being routed through official state government accounts,” he added.
The Osun State Government, however, rejected the allegations and maintained that the latest disbursement was part of its established welfare policy aimed at cushioning the impact of prevailing economic hardship on public workers.
In a statement issued by Olawale Rasheed, spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, the government said the palliative formed part of broader efforts to improve workers’ welfare and support households facing rising living costs.
“We have once again disbursed palliatives to augment salaries as part of our commitment to civil servants, who remain the backbone of our administration,” Rasheed said.
The state government also stated that the periodic palliative payments began before the implementation of the new national minimum wage and argued that the initiative reflects its commitment to supporting workers despite economic pressures.
The exchange comes as political campaigns intensify ahead of the Osun governorship election, with both the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the opposition APC seeking to win over voters.
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Allegations of vote-buying and the use of state resources have frequently featured in Nigeria’s election campaigns, prompting repeated warnings from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and anti-corruption agencies that electoral offences will be investigated and prosecuted.
