CAVE VALLEY, St Ann — People’s National Party (PNP) candidate Valenton Wint has accused incumbent Zavia Mayne and his team of vote buying in their run off for the St Ann South Western seat.

Acording to Wint, vehicles allegedly belonging to members of Mayne’s team were observed handing stuff out at one of the constituency’s polling divisions.

Wint replaces Keith Walford, who lost the 2016 elections by 120 to Mayne, on the PNP’s ticket.

“I am not one who lives and try to predict unless I had done canvassing before. Truth be told, I have done canvassing and I am expecting those areas to turn out well,” Wint told OBSERVER ONLINE.

“But we are of the view that there are persons who will want to vote because of the influence of the vote buyers. I went to one particular area and saw cars parked over there and persons pointing to the cars and saying they buying votes over there, so we took pictures.

“My opinion is the buyers can’t be buying unless the sellers want to sell but as my father always say the people know what they want. So as far as I am concerned that is the only occurrence affecting the whole democratic process,” he added.

“But my people are in high spirits and once they are in high spirits they will turn out to vote. Because I will not buy one single vote, so if its vote buying you want me to compete in, then you are going to have the wrong candidate.

“So if it’s a $5,000 that the people want to determine who wins the election then it’s up to them.”

Still, Wint noted that he is ready to hit the ground running to serve the people proper, if victorious.

“So I am here as the alternative and I am here as the person who will give better leadership and better development, greater education for the children, better opportunities for the farmers and for the persons that have suffered from the rumages of bauxite, we have a great plan for them so let us see what happens.

“I am saddened to say I am driving on the road and its pure potholes and I see people patching roads after parliament has been dissolved. But people have personal interest and they claim that they will spend anything they have to spend to maintain leadership and that must stop. And if Val Wint don’t win this election for whatever reason someone will make it stop,” Wint said.

However, Mayne rubbished the vote buying claims stating that is work speaks for itself.

“When a man is losing they say almost anything. The fact of the matter is that the people have said to me that they are satisfied with the work. I don’t need to buy votes, I have worked for the people and they are satisfied with my performance and say they are staying on the ‘Mayne’,” Mayne asserted.