There was a massive turnout of voters during the Saturday’s governorship poll in Ekiti State as electorates trooped out as early as 6:45am.
The governorship election witnessed voters’ inducement while the technology deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Biometric Voter Authentication System did not function properly in some polling units.
The INEC officials and materials arrived almost polling units early before the official time for the commencement of voting.
There were pockets of complaints about malfunctioning of the BVAS machines.In some of the polling units while the voters induced to vote in particular directions.
Our correspondents who monitored the election across the 177 wards observed that in most of polling units, the agents of the three leading parties induced the voters to influence the choice of who the electorate cast their voted for.
It was observed that the electorate were induced with the sums of money ranging from N4,000 to N10,000 at polling units, while the security personnel manning the units ignored the fraud.
While the APC paid voters with N10,000 PDP and SDP offered paid N5,000 and N4,000 per votes.
It was observed that, after the voters had voted, each voter would meet the parties’ representatives primarily dedicated for the task at the back of the polling units to collect money.
At ward 08 unit 04 and 05, Odo Aremu in Ado-Ekiti, operatives of Economic and Financial Crime Commission arrested for attempting to buy votes.
The agents who was arrested with a bag of cash as he was about to give a voter money after casting their votes. Other parties agents upon sighting the EFCC operatives took to their eels and left the books containing list of voters that had voted and collected money.
The operatives of the anti-graft agency who seized the money whisked the APC agents to an unknown destination. The incident disrupted voting at the units for some minutes before normalcy returns.
Earlier, the SDP governorship candidate, Segun had made allegations of vote buying while speaking with newsmen after casting vote at his Ward 2, unit 6, Ifaki Ekiti.
” I have been told selling and buying of votes are ongoing in Ado and Oye-Ekiti. This is not allowed in the law. I want security to move in and stop those doing that”, he said.
Also, PDP candidate, Kolawole alleged that vote buying was done at the state capital, Ado-Ekiti. But, he was quick to say that his party was not involved in vote buying deal.
He made the allegation at his country home, Efon Alaye, following allegation of inducement of voters by the political parties.
Besides, The Nation also saw some voters, who were agitating over neglect to benefit from the largesse.
These voters, who came from another polling unit in Ward 8, met Kolawole.
Shortly after, the voters were seen compiling their names on a sheet of paper.
But Kolawole discountenaced the allegation saying it was possible that other political parties were doing that.
However, he said he had heard reports that vote buying happened in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti.
He said: “We are not in government. We don’t have such money for vote buying.
“We heard there was vote buying in Ado-Ekiti, but PDP.
“We have campaigned and have left Ekiti people with their conscience to vote according to their conscience”, he said.
At unit 09, ward 10 in Ikere council areas, a gang of security operatives snatched huge money meant to buy votes. Many voters who had hoped to collect money we’re said to have been disappointed with the action of the security agents.
Some political party agents present at the polling unit said officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were on routine patrol when they stormed the polling unit.
The party agents, did not, however state which political party owns the money that was snatched.
They said the NSCDC officials took a short cut within the community and spend off.
When asked if they could identify the officers, one party agent said, “Even if I see the person, do you expect me to say this is the person? I know they will not admit that they collected money from this place. They will not even take it to their office.”
Speaker of the Ekiti State House if Assembly, Hon Funminiyi Afuye, who was seen at the polling unit, said the money supposedly snatched does not belong to the All Progressives Congress.
Hon Afuye said he had voted at his polling unit and had to monitor the election around his vicinity.
His words, “I have voted in my unit and I decided to just go about. But there is no violent anywhere. The people have been conducting themselves well.
“I wasn’t here when money was snatched . I am not aware of any money snatched. If they are snatching money, they are not snatching from my party.
“There is no violence that has been reported to me.”
Explaining why was he present at the polling unit other than where he voted, Hon Afuye said “By virtue of my position as the Chief Lawmaker in the State and I do not interfere with the process, I can observe election.
“Do you want me to go about without my security agents. Are they harassing people. They are on their duty. The only time I went towards the polling units was when I wanted to confirm the number of machines there.”
Spokesman for the Ekiti NSCDC, Afolabi Tolulope, said he was not aware of such incident.
He said he was not yet at the office to know if any NSCDC officials on patrol made report about money at voting centres.
Meanwhile, there were also pockets of ballot snatching at two polling units in Ilawe-Ekiti, Ekiti South West council area of the state and Ado-Ekiti.
The Spokesman of the Ekiti State Police, Abutu Sunday, confirmed the incident but said normalcy was restored immediately
He stated the Command have arrested four people for disruption of the voting excercise, adding that the suspects are already in its custody cooling their legs.
