The results of the Ekiti State election have been rejected by Mr. Dare Bejide, the governorial candidate for the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Bejide said the election lacked credibility in a Sunday speech in Ado-Ekiti.
He claimed that “an atmosphere replica of a war zone” was used for the exercise.
The ADC candidate charged that the ruling party was using food and cash to buy votes.
Instead of trying to sway voters, Bejide said the government ought to have relied on its accomplishments.
“Because the exercise was not credible, my immediate reaction is to reject the result in its entirety,” he stated.
He said that during the election, a tense atmosphere was observed in some polling places, including his own.
“Everyone saw what took place. Bejide continued, “Some areas were practically like a war zone.”
He claimed that a sitting senator and political appointees brought thugs and security guards.
In certain areas, it seemed that my polling place was the only place where the election was happening. The ADC candidate said, “Today is a sad day for democracy.”
Bejide further claimed that vote buying was done in public at a number of polling places.
He asserted that “bags of money were brought to polling units, and enormous sums were spent.” Such acts, he claimed, were a reflection of the government’s poor performance.
“They wouldn’t have needed to rely on money if they had performed well,” Bejide stated.
The ADC candidate stated that before making a decision, he was still researching the results of the election.
“I have only heard reports on social media; I have not personally seen the full results,” he stated.\
He continued by saying that his group was compiling the results of the available polling units.
“We will brief our party members once we receive and analyse everything,” Bejide said.
The party would then determine the best course of action, he said.
He declared, “At this point, we are definitely not satisfied with the conduct of the election.”
Bejide asked the people of Ekiti and his supporters to maintain their composure. He continued, “We are closely examining the results and will know the proper actions to take.”
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