A viral video purportedly showing suspected agents of the Accord Party in Osun State taking an oath before collecting money allegedly meant for vote-buying ahead of the August 15 governorship election has sparked outrage across the state.

The 40-second video, seen by The Nation on Friday, showed a gathering of mostly middle-aged and elderly women, while a man appeared to instruct two women to hold what looked like a Holy Bible.

The man, speaking in Yoruba, was heard leading the women through an oath in which they allegedly pledged to vote for Governor Ademola Adeleke and carry out instructions concerning the distribution of money.

“If I work and disburse money for the vote for Adeleke, all the blessings in the Bible will be mine,” the man was heard saying in the video.

The footage has since circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from residents and political stakeholders concerned about alleged attempts to influence voters ahead of the election.

The viral footage has added another layer to the growing scrutiny of campaign activities in the run-up to the poll.

A civil society group, Dialogue 365, chaired by Comrade Waheed Saka, berated the development, saying, “This is purely against democracy and it is an uncivilised approach to the issue of development.”

Saka said that a few days ago Adeleke paid N20,000 to civil servants and corps members, tagging it as a palliative to cushion the effects of hardship. We are yet to recover from that; this is another one.

“Remember that two weeks ago, the Secretary to the State Government was arrested for allegedly being involved in vote-buying. We have not resolved this. Adeleke started paying palliative, which he refused to pay workers since 2023, when President Bola Tinubu paid the state N5 billion, when the effect of harsh economic conditions was palpable.”

The convener of Dialogue 365 averred that, “Only an unpopular candidate will resort to vote-buying in this democratic dispensation. I task anti-graft agencies to go after those people in the video to ascertain their party and those who bankroll them for the illegality.”

Reacting to the incident, the All Progressives Congress Campaign Council, through its Head of Media, Engr Oluremi Omowaiye, in a statement on Friday said the oath-taking exercise by the Accord Party for votes showed Governor Ademola Adeleke’s desperation, which confirms that he is jittery about defeat.

He has expressed deep concern over the viral videos, saying, “This latest dimension of vote-buying is not only dastardly and crude but also morally reprehensible. It represents a dangerous descent into political desperation and an affront to the democratic values that guarantee every citizen the freedom to vote according to their conscience without coercion, intimidation or manipulation.

“The emergence of these videos has further confirmed what is already obvious to every discerning observer—that Governor Ademola Adeleke has seen the unmistakable handwriting of defeat on the wall. Having failed to convince the people with his record in office, he has now resorted to frightening vulnerable citizens into pledging supernatural allegiance in a desperate bid to retain power.”

He continued, “It is indeed tragic that after almost four years in office, a government that has impoverished and pauperised thousands of Osun residents has reduced the same people to the” point where they are willing to invoke severe curses upon themselves if they fail to support the Accord Party and Governor Adeleke at the polls.

“Nothing could better illustrate the level of economic hardship and hopelessness inflicted on the people by this administration.”

He stated that “This oath-taking scheme bears a striking resemblance to the earlier vote-inducement strategy in which civil servants—who have endured untold hardship under the harsh economic and political policies of this administration—were handed a paltry ₦20,000 in what was clearly an attempt to purchase their conscience and secure their votes ahead of the August 15 election.

“No doubt, Governor Adeleke is not as popular as he touts, hence his resort to voodooism and vote-buying. If he is, he will be busy canvassing for votes on the strength of his achievements in office since 2022.”

“It is both ironic and laughable that a governor who spent over ₦11.9 billion on travel and hotel accommodation across the world in 2025 now believes that the destiny of Osun people can be traded for ₦10,000 or ₦20,000, or that citizens should be compelled to place terrifying curses upon themselves in exchange for such insignificant sums.”

He affirmed that “No amount of inducement, intimidation, spiritual manipulation or political drama can erase the realities confronting the people of Osun State. The electorate are fully aware of the state of governance, the unmet expectations and the numerous opportunities squandered under the current administration.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Spokesperson to the Governor, Oladele Bamiji said, “Adeleke would not send anybody to go and take an oath for whatever amount of money they want to get. Be that as it may, any viral video to that effect did not emanate from our people and certainly not from Mr Governor.”

“Mr Governor is continuing with governance, with so many people working with him. He is not a desperate person. He’s not the type that bothers about tomorrow because it is his nature to believe in God. The same God has kept him this far, and it is not now that the governor will be sending anybody to go and take an oath on his behalf for whatever reason.

“People in different layers of politics have their own selected or special way of doing things in their own local arrangements. Mr Governor has nothing to do with oath-taking. He’s very busy with campaign schedules to be asking anybody to make people take an oath on his behalf,” he posited. (The Nation)