The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the Ekiti State election, Dare Bejide, has rejected the outcome of the poll, describing it as lacking credibility and alleging widespread electoral malpractice.
Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Bejide claimed the election was conducted in an atmosphere of intimidation, which he likened to a war zone.
According to him, the exercise was marred by vote buying, the deployment of thugs and the heavy presence of security operatives at some polling units.
“My immediate reaction is to reject the result in its entirety because the exercise was not credible,” he said.
Bejide alleged that political appointees and a serving senator mobilised thugs and security personnel to influence the process, adding that some polling units experienced heightened tension.
“You all witnessed what happened. Some places were almost like a war zone. In some places, it appeared the election was taking place only in my polling unit. It is a sad day for democracy,” he stated.
The ADC candidate further alleged that vote buying was carried out openly across several polling units through the distribution of cash and food items.
“Bags of money were brought to polling units, and enormous sums were spent. If the government had performed well, there would have been no need to rely on money,” he said.
Bejide maintained that the ruling party should have allowed its record in office to speak for itself rather than attempting to influence voters through inducements.
Despite rejecting the declared result, he said he will still review reports from across the state before deciding on the next course of action.
“I have not personally seen the full results; I have only heard reports on social media,” he said, adding that his team was collating polling unit results for proper assessment.
“Once we receive and analyse everything, we will brief our party members. At this stage, we are certainly not satisfied with the conduct of the election,” he added.
Bejide, however, appealed to his supporters and residents of Ekiti State to remain calm and peaceful while the party concludes its review of the election.
“We are carefully studying the results and will know the appropriate steps to take,” he said.
