Oyebanji leads in Ekiti election amid vote-buying claims

Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, is ahead in Saturday’s governorship election. He has received thousands of votes more than his main rivals. Results shared on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Result Viewing Portal show Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress candidate, performing well across the state.

While the election was mostly peaceful, there were claims of vote-buying. There were also complaints about the slow performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System. Some elderly voters could not get accredited, and there were a few incidents with security personnel and anti-graft officials.

Early results from Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area show Oyebanji leading comfortably. In Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA, results from 41 of 174 polling units showed Oyebanji with 2,114 votes. The Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Oluwole Oluyede, had 65 votes, and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Oluwadare Bejide, got 53 votes in Are Ward.

In Igede II Ward, Oyebanji received 2,200 votes, while the ADC got 46 votes and PDP had 419 votes. In Igede III Ward, the governor secured 961 votes, with ADC at 31 votes and PDP at 197 votes. Oyebanji also led in Afao Ward with 1,569 votes, while PDP and ADC received 20 and 71 votes, respectively.

In Iropora/Esure/Eyio Ward, Oyebanji had 1,129 votes. The ADC got 16 votes and PDP scored 110. The ruling party won 31 of the 91 polling units monitored in Ilejemeje Local Government Area and also dominated Moba Local Government Area with 36 polling units won.

In Ido/Osi Local Government Area, results from all polling units in Ilogbo Ward showed a strong win for the APC. The ruling party won nearly every polling unit by large margins, with only a few votes for the ADC and PDP.

At Temidire Better Life Polling Unit, APC got 76 votes while ADC had one vote. In Ogunire/Idofin Abasa, the APC had 98 votes and ADC received one vote. There were similar results at other polling units, with APC getting 87 votes at Ile Olofin, 90 votes at Imuta I, II, and III, 122 votes at St. Mary’s Catholic School, and 160 votes at Eti Omi Area, St. John’s Anglican School, the highest total in the ward.

Across 16 polling units in Ilogbo Ward, the APC gathered 1,634 votes, while ADC got 12 votes and PDP had just two votes. The same trend continued in Ifaki Ward I and Igbole/Ifisin/Aaye Ward, with the APC leading in almost all polling units. In Ado Local Government Area, Oyebanji also won at polling units monitored in Ereguru and Adegbite areas.

The same pattern was seen in Efon Local Government Area, with the APC leading in Efon Ward IV. Despite the success of the ruling party, allegations of vote-buying were common at many polling units.

Vote-buying claims
The African Democratic Congress candidate, Dare Bejide, told Sunday PUNCH that some voters got cash at remote places near polling units, while others received payments electronically. “One of them brought money here in a sack, but we intercepted her. She called the council chairman, and he came here too.

“They kept saying some ADC members were also giving out money, but they couldn’t name anyone. We know where the money was hidden. They called the council chairman to retrieve it, causing chaos here,” he said.

The Case Tracking and Response Centre, led by the Balm in Gilead Foundation for Sustainable Development, confirmed reports of vote-buying to Sunday PUNCH. Dr Tumininu Adedeji, the Executive Director, said, “Vote trading was reported in several polling units we visited, and BVAS failed to capture some elderly voters.”

Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, also said vote-buying happened openly in some polling units, sometimes with security personnel present. He shared this during an interview on Channels Television, showing concern over vote-buying reports. “There were cases of vote-buying. Some happened in front of police officers, and they did nothing. It seemed like they let it happen.

“Voters left the polling unit after voting and collected money outside. There were many such cases, and we need to talk about accountability. Have there been any arrests?” he asked.

The Police Commissioner for election security, Abayomi Shogunle, called the claims unproven. He said police officers were fully deployed before the election, and many stayed at their posts overnight to ensure voting began on time.

Responding to vote-buying claims, the police commissioner said no formal reports with evidence had reached the police. “This is the second time I have heard of vote-buying. I went to one polling unit after a report. The officers on the ground said nothing of the sort happened.

“Currently, there are no reported cases of vote-buying on our situation report platform. We heard the allegations, but they remain unproven,” he said.

Senator Yemi Adaramodu, who spoke after voting at Unit 1, Ward 11, in Ilawe Ekiti, denied that APC members were involved in vote-buying. “Have you ever seen anyone selling votes? Have you seen anyone exchanging votes for money? Where is it? When someone is about to lose an election, you hear these kinds of claims. They have bought votes. They have done this; they have done that,” he said.

The lawmaker said people voted freely for Oyebanji, adding, “APC will never engage in vote-buying. We just need to perform well in government to convince the voters.”

Voters confront EFCC officials
In another event, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officers sent to monitor vote-buying faced resistance at Unit 10, Ward B, Iyin Ekiti, in Ifelodun/Irepodun Local Government Area. Some voters chased them away.

The EFCC officials, wearing red uniforms, came to check on alleged vote-buying during the election but were met with pushback from voters who questioned their presence. Tension rose as some voters confronted the officials, demanding they leave because there was no evidence of vote-buying.

The EFCC officials eventually left after the confrontation, allowing voting to continue.

VIPs defy police orders
Sunday PUNCH also noticed many VIPs ignored the Ekiti State Police Command's order against moving with armed escorts or security aides to polling units and collation centers. At Iyin Ekiti, Ado Ekiti, Ilawe Ekiti, and other areas, politicians moved with armed police officers into polling units without challenge.

The Ekiti State Police Command, through its Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, had said on Friday that VIPs with armed escorts or security aides at polling units and collation centers would not be allowed. “The movement of VIPs with armed escorts or security aides is strictly discouraged,” he said.

Elderly voters face BVAS issues
Although INEC staff arrived early at polling units with voting materials, the BVAS malfunction slowed down the accreditation process, especially for elderly voters. Babafemi Ojudu, a former Special Assistant to the President on Political Matters, expressed worry about the BVAS issues at his polling unit in Ereguru, Ward 8, Ado Ekiti.

Ojudu, who voted after delays from the accreditation process, blamed the BVAS for its slow operation. He said, “The turnout of voters is impressive, but the BVAS issues can discourage participation. If it takes that long to accredit one voter, imagine how long it will take for 500 people to vote.

“There is clearly a problem with the system. The BVAS was not working well. I can’t speak for other polling units, but this is my experience.” Many elderly voters could not vote because the BVAS failed to capture their facial features and fingerprints.

Alli Sunday, an 86-year-old voter at Ward 4, Unit 1, Ijigbo, Ado Ekiti, could not vote because the BVAS could not read his facial features and fingerprints. Another voter, over 100 years old and registered at Ward 2, Unit 3, Iyin Ekiti, had the same issue. “I could not vote. The machine couldn't read my face. I have used this card to vote for a long time. I’m surprised it’s not working well today,” 91-year-old Matthew Omotayo said at Osagburu Ward 3, Unit 6, Ikere Ekiti.

Early voting turnout
Findings by Sunday PUNCH showed that voting started around 8:30 a.m. Many polling units received election materials and logistics early, and voters came out in large numbers to fulfill their civic duty. Voting started early and ended before the scheduled time in some places. In some polling units, voting wrapped up before noon, and voters had to wait until 2:30 p.m. for vote counting.

Oyebanji and deputy confident of victory
Oyebanji voted at Ward 06, Unit 03, Okelele, Ikogosi Ekiti. His deputy, Monisade Afuye, voted at Atiba Aafin Ward 1, Polling Unit 003, Ikere Ekiti. The governor is confident of getting over 500,000 votes in the election. He praised the large turnout, saying, “The people came out to exercise their rights because what is happening today links to the future.”

When asked if the APC could still achieve the 500,000 votes, Oyebanji said, “If the processes work well and everyone votes, we should cross that line.” He also expressed satisfaction with how the election was conducted, saying, “I am satisfied.”

Afuye praised voters for their patriotism and how they turned out to vote. She said, “You can see how people came out to participate. Not just coming out, but being ready and eager to vote. I’m really impressed with how our voters conducted themselves. I also commend INEC and our security agencies. They prepared well for this election. You can see no one is being intimidated.”

EU observers call election peaceful
Meanwhile, the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub described the election as mostly peaceful, orderly, and inclusive in a midday report on Saturday. The EU-SDGN observation hub includes the Centre for Media and Society, The Kukah Centre, TAF Africa, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Yiaga Africa, and the International Press Centre. They issued a joint statement in Ado Ekiti, praising the early deployment of election officials and the good performance of the BVAS.

The EU observers, who monitored the election with 598 personnel across the state’s 16 local government areas, noted the poll was generally peaceful. However, incidents of voter inducement, intimidation, and isolated violence are serious concerns that could undermine public trust in the electoral process.

The observation hub said reports from its observers showed that INEC achieved a lot with early deployment of staff and election materials. On inclusiveness, the observers praised the active participation of women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in the election.

The Nigerian Women Trust Fund, part of the observation hub, noted that women made up about 51 percent of the voting population in the state and participated actively as voters, polling officials, and party agents. The observers also noted good participation by PWDs, with no major incidents of harassment or discrimination reported.

Overall, voting was peaceful in most parts of the state. INEC officials began accreditation and voting early in many polling units, and results collation continued late into Saturday.