By Ayodele Abere
The African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Mr. Dare Bejide, has rejected the outcome of Saturday’s governorship election, alleging widespread vote buying, intimidation of supporters and manipulation of results.
Speaking with journalists at his residence on Sunday, Bejide described the election as “a bad day for democracy” and vowed to challenge the outcome after consultations with party leaders.
*Allegations from Ilawe-Ekiti polling unit*
Bejide alleged that prominent members of the ruling party stormed his polling unit in Ilawe-Ekiti with large sums of money and distributed cash to voters during the election.
He said attempts by his supporters to stop the alleged vote buying were met with intimidation from security operatives and political actors present at the polling unit.
The ADC candidate also claimed that his driver was assaulted and seriously injured during the incident. According to him, the driver was struck with a gun and later taken to hospital for treatment.
Bejide further accused some security personnel of failing to protect voters and party supporters, adding that some of his party members and aides were harassed during the exercise.
The ADC candidate said the atmosphere across the state after the declaration of results reflected public dissatisfaction, alleging that the official outcome did not represent the true will of the electorate.
He also questioned the credibility of the election process, alleging that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, may have been manipulated to produce the final results.
Bejide said the party would consult its leadership before deciding its next line of action, including possible legal steps to challenge the outcome of the election.
He confirmed receiving a telephone call from Governor Biodun Oyebanji after the election but said his immediate focus remained consulting party leaders on the way forward.
The ADC candidate urged his supporters to remain calm and peaceful, while insisting that his party would pursue lawful means in addressing its grievances over the conduct of the election.
