The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Ekiti State, Engr. Segun Oni, on Sunday complained that he received reports of vote buying in Ado and Oye, the stronghold of Governor Kayode Gayemi and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, who was declared winner of the Saturday governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to Oni of the SDP, “I’ve received reports of vote-buying in Ado, Oye.”
Reports of massive vote-buying in the Saturday governorship election in Ekiti State prompted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to mount surveillance at some polling units, which resulted in arrest of some agents of certain governorship candidates.
There were reports that voters were sighted struggling for money at some polling units in the election. an observer had also raised alarm that votes sold as low as N500, with additional reports that party agents and their candidates were moving from house to house hours to the Saturday election inducing voters with varieties of gifts including money.
INEC had declared Biodun Oyebanji, APC candidate winner of the Ekiti governorship election with 187,057 votes, as Segun Oni 211 of the SDP trailed with 82, while Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 67,457 votes.