Ekiti Poll: ‘Votes Were Sold, Bought By Politicians’ – ADC Candidate

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dare Abejide, has faulted the conduct of the election, describing it as a “bad day for democracy.”

Abejide spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he alleged that the poll, which secured a fresh four-year mandate for Governor Biodun Oyebanji, was marred by vote-buying and intimidation.

He said, “First, the election was a very bad one. Yesterday was a very bad day for democracy in the state. It was a day when democracy took flight from Ekiti State.

“It was a day when the polling units, particularly my polling booth, became a political marketplace where votes were canvassed for, sold, and bought by politicians. It was a day the security agents abandoned their duties and took sides with the oppressor.”

Abejide also accused the ruling party of exploiting poverty to influence voters.

He added, “The government of the day has weaponised poverty, and that makes it so easy for them to buy votes.”

Naija News had earlier reported that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the election held across the 16 local government areas of the state.

According to INEC, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, who scored 40,543 votes, while Abejide garnered 12,872 votes.

Abejide further alleged that the exercise was manipulated, saying, “It was like a battleground. I suspect it was something that was simply fed into the computers.”

Asked about his next move, the ADC candidate said he would consult with party members before deciding on further action.

“One of them is to consult with my party members. We are still collecting results from all the polling units. We will analyse the results and take appropriate action,” he said.