ADC Candidate Alleges Vote Buying, Assault During Ekiti Governorship Election

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the Ekiti State governorship election, Dare Bejide, has alleged widespread vote buying and physical assault at his polling unit in Ilawe-Ekiti.

Bejide made the allegations while speaking with a team of police officers on patrol at Ward 2 in Ekiti West Local Government Area during the election.

According to him, he had repeatedly alerted security personnel to the alleged distribution of money to voters before tensions escalated.

“I have been calling the police for the past two hours,” he said, claiming that an officer declined to intervene when he first reported the alleged vote-buying activities.

The ADC candidate said voting initially proceeded peacefully until allegations emerged that a woman was distributing cash to voters.

“We started on a very clean slate. I came here even before the officials. And there was no problem until there were allegations that this lady was distributing money,” he stated.

Bejide alleged that after confronting the woman, a council chairman arrived at the scene and exchanged words with him. He further claimed that a presidential aide, whom he identified as Makinde Olaoye, later arrived with individuals he described as “fake policemen in uniform.”

The politician accused Olaoye of physically assaulting him and attacking his driver.

“The SA to the president came here and pushed me. He beat my driver to stupor, full of blood. He is in the hospital now,” Bejide alleged.

He also expressed concern over what he described as the continued presence of non-voters around the polling area, claiming that money was being distributed from a nearby location.

Responding to the complaints, the police commissioner leading the patrol team said security agencies were focused on maintaining peace and ensuring a smooth electoral process.

He advised Bejide to formally submit any complaints after the election and assured him that additional officers would be deployed to the polling unit to prevent any breakdown of law and order.

“The only thing I can do for you, as an institution, is to provide an enabling environment. Every player should play the game according to the rules,” the commissioner said.

The allegations come shortly after Wole Oluyede, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, also accused security operatives of voter suppression and harassment of party supporters during the election.

As of the time of reporting, neither the ruling All Progressives Congress, the presidential aide mentioned in the allegations, nor the Independent National Electoral Commission had officially responded to the claims.

No independent verification of the allegations had been provided at the time of filing this report.

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