The African Democratic Congress (ADC) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, has leveled serious accusations against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), claiming widespread vote buying and an assault on his driver during the Saturday governorship election.
Bejide, who voted at Polling Unit 004, Ward 2, Oke Adura, Ilawe-Ekiti, alleged that APC members were openly handing out cash to voters to sway the election outcome. He stated that several APC leaders, along with local government officials, gathered at his polling unit with large sums of money for this purpose.
According to Bejide, his driver sustained injuries during a scuffle at the polling unit while trying to protect him from being pushed. The driver was later taken to a hospital for treatment. The ADC candidate said the incident was reported to the police, but expressed dissatisfaction with the security personnel’s response, calling it inadequate.
Bejide condemned the alleged vote buying as a violation of democratic principles and an embarrassment to the electoral process. His son, Olumide Bejide, also alleged that APC chieftains flooded all polling units in Ilawe with money, distributing it to voters in defiance of INEC regulations. He remarked that the funds thrown around could have fixed all bad roads in Ekiti.
In response, APC chieftain Makinde Araoye dismissed the allegations, insisting that the election was conducted peacefully across the state. He noted that improvements in INEC’s technology had reduced accreditation and balloting time. Araoye expressed confidence that Governor Biodun Oyebanji would win re-election due to his performance in office.
Addressing claims of a confrontation with Bejide at the polling unit, Araoye denied any wrongdoing, stating he was merely monitoring the process in his ward. He said the dispute arose when Bejide allegedly tried to stop him from moving around the polling area. Araoye maintained that he had every right to observe and acted only in self-defense.
As of this report, neither the police nor INEC has issued an official statement on the allegations.