The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the just concluded Ekiti State governorship election, Dare Bejide, has rejected the outcome of the poll.

Bejide who described the exercise as a “sham”, alleged widespread voter intimidation and vote-buying across the 2,445 polling units in the state.

Bejide’s position came barely hours after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress winner of the election.

Oyebanji was returned elected after polling 319,224 votes and securing victory across the 16 council areas and all 177 wards of the state.

Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, Bejide questioned the credibility of the election, insisting that the outcome did not reflect the true will of the electorate.

The ADC candidate alleged that the election was characterised by voter inducement, intimidation and other irregularities which, according to him, compromised the integrity of the electoral process.

Bejide expressed disbelief over the scale of APC’s victory, particularly its dominance across virtually all polling units, wards and local government areas in the state.

“There is no doubt that this is an unprecedented electoral outcome in the history of Ekiti State and indeed Nigeria. For a political party to win all the wards in a state is unheard of and raises serious concerns.

“We witnessed voter intimidation and widespread vote-buying during the election. What happened cannot be regarded as a true reflection of the wishes of the people.”

The ADC candidate maintained that the outcome fell short of democratic expectations and vowed to consult with his party and supporters on the next line of action.

Despite rejecting the result, Bejide commended members of his campaign team, party faithful and supporters across the state for their commitment and steadfastness throughout the electioneering process.

Meanwhile, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wole Oluyede, remained silent on the outcome of the election.

Efforts by our correspondent to get his reaction proved abortive as he declined to comment on the governorship poll. (The Nation)

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