Ekiti State Elections: Gov Sani Calls Election Transparent Despite Vote-Buying Claims

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has praised the ongoing gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State as "transparent" and "very peaceful." This is despite reports of vote-buying in some areas of the state.

Mr Sani, who leads the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Campaign Council for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election, shared his thoughts during an interview with Arise TV on Saturday.

"I’ve gone round some of the local governments out of the 16 local governments," Mr Sani said.

"I have gotten reports in all of the 177 polling units. I can assure you that the election, so far, is going very well, very peaceful, transparent and, of course, the people are working together with the relevant security agencies."

His comments come as accusations of vote-buying emerge across the state.

Oluwadare Bejide, the candidate from the African Democratic Congress, voted at Oke Adura Polling Unit in Ilawe Ekiti. After casting his vote on Saturday, he claimed that the elections had been affected by malpractice. He alleged that APC members were giving out cash at the polling center.

Additionally, PREMIUM TIMES reporters noted that party agents in Ise Ekiti and Emure Ekiti were using numbered slips instead of cash for vote-buying around 11:30 a.m.

Voters were reportedly given numbers instead of cash after voting. These numbers are believed to be tied to future payments.

Earlier, PREMIUM TIMES reported that some operatives from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrived at the polling unit of the state’s governor, Biodun Oyebanji, around 9:08 a.m. Their visit seemed linked to checking for possible vote-buying activities.

Mr Sani remains hopeful that the APC will win the election. He stated that the party aims to gather about 500,000 votes from the over one million registered voters in the state.