Ekiti Poll: ADC Candidate Rejects Election Result, Alleges Irregularities

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mr. Dare Bejide, has rejected the outcome of the Ekiti State governorship election, describing the exercise as lacking credibility.

Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Bejide alleged that the election was conducted in an atmosphere of intimidation and widespread irregularities.

According to him, the poll was marred by vote buying and the distribution of food items to voters by members of the ruling party.

“My immediate reaction is to reject the result in its entirety because the exercise was not credible,” Bejide said.

The ADC candidate claimed that several polling units witnessed tense situations during the election, adding that the conduct of the exercise raised concerns about the integrity of the process.

“You all witnessed what happened. Some places were almost like a war zone,” he said.

Bejide further alleged that political appointees, aided by a serving senator, deployed thugs and security personnel to influence the outcome of the election.

“In some places, it appeared the election was taking place only in my polling unit. It is a sad day for democracy,” he stated.

He also accused the ruling party of openly engaging in vote buying at several polling centres.

“Bags of money were brought to polling units, and enormous sums were spent,” he alleged, adding that a government with a strong performance record would not need to rely on financial inducements to secure votes.

The ADC candidate said he was still reviewing the election results and consulting with party officials before deciding on the next line of action.

“I have not personally seen the full results; I have only heard reports on social media,” he said.

Bejide noted that his team was collating results from various polling units for further assessment.

“Once we receive and analyse everything, we will brief our party members,” he added.

He said the party would subsequently determine the most appropriate course of action, stressing that it remained dissatisfied with the conduct of the election.

“At this stage, we are certainly not satisfied with the conduct of the election,” he said.

Bejide, however, urged his supporters and residents of the state to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the party reviews the outcome of the poll.

“We are carefully studying the results and will know the appropriate steps to take,” he said.