Fresh evidence of widespread vote-buying has emerged in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election, as some voters openly admitted to collecting cash inducements in exchange for their votes despite the presence of security personnel and anti-corruption officials monitoring the electoral process.
According to SaharaReporters, some voters admitted receiving money to support political parties in at least five polling units in Aramoko Ekiti, the hometown of Governor Biodun Oyebanji, the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Additionally, some of the voters spoke publicly about the payments, describing the practice as widespread across several polling centres in the community.
At Polling Unit 004, Chief Ologbodo’s House, Oke Uro, Aramoko II, SaharaReporters claimed to witness what appeared to be an organised vote-buying operation involving party agents.
Furthermore, individuals believed to be working for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) reportedly approached SaharaReporters during the visit after mistaking its reporters for voters.
An APC agent allegedly offered ₦10,000 in exchange for support for Governor Oyebanji and the ruling party, while a representative of the ADC reportedly offered ₦2,000 in an effort to secure a vote for the opposition party.
EFCC operatives reportedly chased off as vote buying continue
Reports have also revealed that voters on Saturday chased away officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), in Iyin-Ekiti during the election.
EFCC personnel reportedly stormed the polling unit to monitor the election and crack down on suspected vote-buying activities.
However, some voters reportedly reacted angrily to their presence, challenged their deployment, and demanded that they leave the polling unit immediately.
INEC uploads 83% of results on IReV
Following the elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission has uploaded 2,048 results out of 2,445 polling units on its Result Viewing Portal as of 6:41pm on Saturday, representing 83.7 percent of total results from the Ekiti State governorship election.
The figure represents a significant jump from the 35.5 percent uploaded barely 30 minutes earlier at 6:12pm.
BACKSTORY…
Fourteen political parties today battled to determine who will serve as Ekiti State’s governor for the next four years.
The 2026 Ekiti State governorship election held across the state’s 16 local government areas, with over 1 million registered voters ready to decide whether Governor Biodun Oyebanji secures a second term or a new leader emerges.
