The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dare Bejide, has rejected the outcome of the Ekiti State governorship election, describing the exercise as lacking credibility and falling short of democratic standards.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Bejide alleged that the election was conducted in a tense atmosphere and marred by widespread irregularities, including vote buying and voter intimidation.
According to him, the conduct of the poll raised serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral process, The News Edition reports.
“My immediate reaction is to reject the result in its entirety because the exercise was not credible,” he stated.
The ADC candidate claimed that several polling units across the state witnessed heavy security presence and incidents that created fear among voters.
“You all witnessed what happened. Some places were almost like a war zone,” he said.
Bejide further alleged that political appointees and a serving senator deployed thugs and security operatives to influence the electoral process in certain areas.
He also accused members of the ruling party of openly engaging in vote buying through the distribution of cash and food items to voters.
According to him, large sums of money were allegedly shared at polling centres in an effort to sway the outcome of the election.
“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 to secure votes,” he alleged.
The ADC flagbearer said he and his team were still reviewing the election results and gathering reports from polling units 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. We are currently collating polling unit results and analysing the outcome,” he said.
Bejide assured party supporters that a formal position would be communicated after a comprehensive review of the election process and results.
“At this stage, we are certainly not satisfied with the conduct of the election,” he added.
He, however, urged ADC members and residents of Ekiti State to remain peaceful and law-abiding while the party evaluates its options.
“We are carefully studying the results and will determine the appropriate steps to take,” Bejide said.