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Tension erupted on Saturday at Unit 4, Ward 2, Ilawe-Ekiti, during the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election, as supporters of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the African Democratic Congress, ADC, reportedly clashed over allegations of vote buying.

The confrontation, which disrupted the voting process briefly, reportedly left one ADC supporter injured, who was later rushed to a medical facility for treatment after sustaining a head injury during the altercation.

The ADC governorship candidate, Dare Bejide, who voted at the polling unit, accused political actors of attempting to compromise the electoral process through cash distribution allegedly brought into the area.

He alleged that money intended for voters was brought into the vicinity, triggering a confrontation when his supporters attempted to intervene and stop the alleged activity.

Bejide further claimed that a chieftain of the APC arrived at the scene in a Toyota Jeep, allegedly with cash meant for distribution to voters, a situation he said escalated into chaos.

According to him, the situation degenerated after efforts to intercept the alleged cash led to a heated exchange involving party supporters and security operatives.

“One of my aides was attacked by security men brought in by them, and he has been taken to the hospital,” Bejide alleged, describing the incident as a violent disruption of the voting process.

He also said the alleged presence of cash at the polling unit was brought to the attention of security authorities, adding that the matter sparked panic and disorder within the area.

Despite the unrest, Bejide commended the conduct of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, noting that the election had proceeded smoothly prior to the outbreak of violence.

“The electoral personnel have been very diligent, and everything was going on very well before the pandemonium started,” he said.

He added that the situation had calmed after security operatives were redeployed to the area, allowing voting activities to continue under tight security presence, though tension remained high in the polling unit.

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Yiaga Africa has alleged discrepancies between the ballot papers, result sheets, and the list of candidates published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the ongoing governorship elections in Ekiti State.

In a statement signed by Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, Chair, 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission Yiaga Africa, and Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa, the duo drew attention specifically to the Form EC8A polling unit result sheets, which provided spaces for 15 political parties, as against 19 parties carried by the ballot papers in circulation.
Yiaga noted that INEC’s final list of candidates, as updated and available on the INEC website as of 18th June 2026, reflected 14 parties that fielded candidates.

“Yiaga Africa is observing the Ekiti State governorship election, and our preliminary findings raise serious concerns about the consistency of the materials INEC has deployed.

“As of 8:30 am, 96% of the observers from our 250 randomly sampled polling units were at the polling unit to observe the election.

“Yiaga Africa recognizes the context. After INEC published its initial list of 12 candidates in January 2026, subsequent court rulings (notably on the PDP’s candidacy) and late administrative changes altered party and candidate participation.
“Some of those changes do not appear to have been fully and consistently reflected across all election materials.
“Also, the public may not have fully received information about these changes.

“These inconsistencies might create confusion during voting and collation. Where result sheets include parties that are not on the ballot, presiding officers may record zero votes for parties that voters did not see.

“Conversely, where voters cast ballots for parties not reflected on the result sheet, such actions could create uncertainty in recording, reconciliation, and collation.”

To Polling Units
Yiaga Africa, therefore, called on INEC to: publicly clarify, without delay, the final list of parties and candidates, and explain any differences between the ballot papers, result sheets, and earlier announcements.

It also demanded that the Commission “Issue clear written instructions to presiding and collation officers on completing result sheets consistently with the law and relevant court judgments, including how to treat parties on the result sheet but not on the ballot and vice versa.”

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Allegations of vote buying surfaced on Saturday at a polling unit linked to Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji as residents participated in the governorship election.

The claims emerged at Polling Unit 003, located opposite the governor’s family compound in Okelele, Ikogosi, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, where voters turned out to cast their ballots.

According to observations by The Whistler, concerns were raised after a voter, identified as Oladimeji Nafiu Abiodun, alleged that he received ₦5,000 to take part in the voting process.

Abiodun further claimed that the payment was coordinated through associates of the governor, although he did not provide evidence to support the allegation. The claim has not been independently verified, and there is no proof directly linking Governor Oyebanji or his campaign to the allegation. The development came amid heightened scrutiny of activities at the polling unit, which is situated close to the governor’s family residence. Earlier reports indicated that only the polling agent of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), identified as Ogundele Oluwatosin, was present to monitor proceedings during accreditation and voting.

Security operatives deployed to the area, including personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), stated that they did not observe any incident of vote buying during their duty at the polling unit. They maintained that monitoring and enforcement of electoral offences fall under the responsibility of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which oversees the conduct of elections and voter accreditation.

Officials of INEC at the polling unit reportedly declined to comment when approached regarding the allegation. The governorship election featured incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the APC, who is seeking re-election, alongside candidates from several political parties including Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Oyebanji Olajuyin of the Labour Party (LP), Ambassador Oluwadare Patrick Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and other contenders from parties such as the Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party, Action Democratic Party (ADP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Boot

Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Young Progressives Party (YPP)