A mild drama unfolded at Unit 4, Ward 2, Ilawe Ekiti, on Saturday (today) during the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election, as supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) engaged in a heated confrontation over allegations of vote-buying.
The incident, which briefly disrupted activities around the polling area, reportedly escalated into a physical altercation, leaving one ADC supporter injured and requiring urgent medical attention.
The governorship candidate of the ADC, Dare Bejide, who voted at the polling unit, accused some politicians of attempting to distribute money to voters before they were allegedly stopped.
According to him, the situation degenerated after some individuals allegedly arrived at the area with cash intended for distribution to voters.
Bejide further alleged that a prominent APC chieftain drove into the vicinity in a Toyota Jeep carrying a large sum of money and was preparing to share it among voters.
The ADC candidate claimed the development triggered arguments between supporters of both parties, eventually leading to a fracas.
“Now you have the sound, the audio, one of them brought money here, they brought it in a sack but we intercepted her, she called the council chairman, and the council chairman came here also,” Bejide alleged.
“And in a bid to defend themselves, they kept on saying that some ADC members were also distributing money. But they couldn’t mention anybody. But we know where the money was kept.
“And in a bid to retrieve the money, she called the council chairman, and that caused a lot of commotion here,” he added.
The tension at the polling unit reportedly turned violent during the confrontation, resulting in an injury to one of the ADC supporters.
According to The PUNCH, eyewitnesses at the scene said the victim sustained a head injury during the clash and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Bejide alleged that the injured individual was one of his aides and blamed security personnel allegedly attached to his political opponents for the assault.
“You can see one of my aides was beaten by the security men they brought. The boy had been rushed to the hospital now,” he said.
Despite the disturbance, the ADC candidate praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for what he described as the orderly conduct of the election and the professionalism displayed by electoral officials.
He noted that voting and accreditation processes were progressing smoothly at the polling unit and commended INEC personnel for their diligence.
“The electoral personnel have been very diligent, and everything is going on very well. You realise that when you came here a few minutes ago, there was pandemonium here, but the moment they saw you with your camera, they ran away,” Bejide said.
Voting continued at the polling unit after calm was restored, while security operatives maintained surveillance around the area to prevent a recurrence of the disturbance.
