The Ekiti election is witnessing enthusiastic voters trooping out en-masse to cast their votes across the 177 wards in the state
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
The governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the on-going governorship election in Ekiti State, Engr Segun Oni, has alleged vote-buying in some polling units, especially in Ado-Ekiti and Oye-Ekiti.
Oni made the allegations after voting at his polling unit 010, Ifaki 2, Ekiti North.
He called on security agencies to curb the malpractice.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, has also voted.
The APC candidate cast his ballot at his polling 003, Ward 6 in Ikogosi.
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Oyebanji, who hailed the voters for enthusiastically trooping out en-masse to cast their vote, saying there wasn’t any case of apathy with the reports he had been getting across the 177 wards, boasted that victory was his.
Also, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bisi Kolawole, voted at Unit 001, Ward 8 in Efon-Ekiti, Efon Local Government Area.
Asked about his purported withdrawal from the governorship race, Kolawole who debunked the allegation, stressed that he was already the next governor of the state.
The Ekiti election is a three horse race between the candidates of APC, PDP and SDP.
Though the election so far has been adjudged peaceful, some electorate in Ikere-Ekiti area have decried the non-inclusion of stamp pads in the election materials supplied to the town, alleging that the process has been compromised.
They expressed their displeasure in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in the town.
One of them, an 85-year-old woman, Caroline Elizabeth, vowed to wait until the stamp pad was produced, saying that she could not afford to be disenfranchised.
“This is my civic responsibility and that I am still alive to witness this, I must cast my vote.
“This is another dimension in my 85 year in life; I have voted more than 12 times and never witnessed this situation.
“But, no matter how long it takes INEC to produce the stamp pads, I will continue to wait,” Elizabeth said.
Another voter, Mr. Isaac Alabi, who also expressed his displeasure with the situation, queried: “Why are the INEC officials just observing that there were no stamp pads in the materials given to them three days before the election?”
Mr. Ade Asimolowo, an electorate, noted that peaceful election was possible, if all involved in the electoral process could abide by the rules.
Commenting, Dr. Wole Oluyede, the Governorship candidate of the Action Democratic Congress (ADC), complained that the election had been compromised following non-inclusion of vital items in the election materials dispatched to the town.
NAN reports that as at 10:15 am, at Ugele Arokun Ward 3 Unit 6 in Ikere-Ekiti, where the ADC candidate was expected to vote, ballot stamp pads were missing in the voting materials dispatched to the polling unit.
A Presiding Officer, Mr. Festus More, said that all the items were complete when he checked through, but could not explain how the stamps were removed.
“I was set for the voting as all the necessary preparation and protocols have been done. In fact, I have given out a ballot paper to the first voter, only to discover that the stamps were missing,” More said.
He, however, assured the electorate that arrangement had been to get stamps so that voting could commence in earnest.