#EkitiDecides2022: We had ‘vote-buying centres, not polling units’ – ADC, SDP …reject results

Some party agents have alleged that vote-buying marred the Ekiti State governorship election.
Expressing his grievances during the collation of the governorship election results in Ado-Ekiti, a party agent from the Action Democratic Congress (ADC) said he was not pleased with the conduct of the election.
ADC state, party agent laments the brazen vote-buying and selling.
“What happened yesterday was vote-buying centres and not polling unit centres,” he said.
The APC candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, secured 187,057 votes to defeat his closest challengers, Segun Oni of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) who polled 82,211, and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party who scored 67,457 votes.
Similarly, Owoseni Ajayi, the state party agent for the Social Democratic Party (SDP), told journalists that vote-buying was brazen.
Incidents of vote-buying, particularly by agents of the three major parties – APC, PDP, and SDP – were reported during the election.
The party agents induced voters with cash ranging from N1,000 to as high as N10,000 to vote for their candidates.
Mr Ajayi said that the election was not conducted in accordance with the provisions of the electoral act.
“Part of the provision of the electoral act is that there must be a free, fair, and plain playground for all the contestants which was completely out in this election,” he said.
“It is not me, all of you witnessed it, the shameful selling and buying of votes in this modern time. It is only in Nigeria that this thing happens.
“Should we continue to condole this type of mess? My answer is no.”
APC state, party agent says he isn’t aware of any vote-buying in Ekiti state.
But Kayode Babade, the APC state party agent, denied knowledge of vote-buying by party agents at the polling units.
“The people have spoken, anybody can go to court on flimsy excuses. It doesn’t matter,” he said.
“We don’t know anything about vote-buying as far as our vote is concerned. All we know is that the Ekiti people have spoken and they have chosen the person that they want to govern Ekiti State in the next four years.”
Meanwhile, The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP) have described the results of the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election as “unacceptable”.
Biodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was announced winner of the election on Sunday.
Oyebanji secured 187,057 votes, defeating his two closest challengers — Segun Oni of the SDP who polled 82,211 votes, and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 67,457 votes.
Speaking on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti Owoseni Ajayi, collation agent of the SDP, said the outcome of the results was rejected by the party.
He added that the outcome will be challenged at the tribunal.
He also said the SDP candidate dismissed the results announced by the electoral body, adding that it did not reflect the true decision of the people.
“We are rejecting the results because the election was characterised by violence and intimidation of voters,” Ajayi said.
“As a result, we will definitely challenge the outcome of this result in the court of law for posterity and generations coming to know that when conducting elections, you must follow the rules and procedures.”
According to reports, efforts to speak with Segun Oni proved abortive as he was not allowed to see or speak with anyone.
Meanwhile, in a statement signed by Femi Eponlolaye, state chairman of ADP in Ado-Ekiti, Kemi Elebute-Halle, the party’s governorship candidate, alleged that the election was characterised by vote-buying and harassment of her party members.
“The victory of Mr Biodun Oyebanji in the just concluded governorship election ordinarily would have been accepted by me, if the election had not been fraught by electoral malpractices,” she said.
“In spite of various sensitisation programmes and media publicity against vote buying, the APC, PDP and SDP actually promoted and encouraged corruption, both at the grassroots and the state levels.
“Though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pronounced Oyebanji as the winner of this election, I, Kemi Elebute-Halle, hereby reject the result of this election.
“It was not credible, neither was it free nor fair. His APC thugs destabilised my strongholds across the state, attacked our members, snatched and destroyed our ballot boxes.
“All those votes, including those obtained by PDP, will be cancelled at the tribunal.
“I want to use this medium to urge my followers not to be discouraged about the outcome of the election. We shall continue to promote our great party, the ADP.”