*EFCC keeps mum over arrested Electoral Law violators
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has been declared winner of the Ekiti State governorship poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Declaring the winner, Prof. Oyebode Adebowale, the INEC returning officer, said Oyebanji polled a total of 187, 057 to win the election.
He said that Oyebanji had certified the law and was, therefore, declared the winner.“That I, Prof. Oyebode Adebowale, hereby certified that I am the returning officer of the Ekiti 2022 Governorship Election held on June 18.
“That Biodun Oyebanji, the candidate of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law, is hereby declared the winner and returned,” Adebowale declared.
The INEC returning officer, who is also the Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, while given the breakdown of the total votes scored by the participating political parties, said that Mr Segun Oni, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, scored 82, 211, to come second.
According to him, others were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chief Bisi Kolawole, who polled 67,457; Accord (A) scored 166; African Action Congress (AAC) 409; All Progressives Grand Alliance,(APGA) 17 while Action Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 141 votes.
Also, the Action Democratic Party (ADP) scored 5,597; Allied Peoples Movement (APM) 290; Labour Party (LP) polled 195 votes; New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) scored 529 and National Rescue Movement (NRM) 347.
The rest were, Young Progressives Party (YPP) 618; All Peoples Party (APP) polled 1,980 and Zenith Labour Party,(ZLP) polled 282; Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) polled 856.
According to the INEC Returning Officer, the total numbers of registered voters were 989,224, accredited voters, 363,438, valid votes were, 351865 and voided votes were 8888.
However, the Ekiti South West Local Government area Collation Officer, Prof. Gbolagade Jonathan, said there were issues of ballot snatching at Ward 6 , Units 5 and 7.
Jonathan, while giving his reports, said they were about to sort the results when gunmen stormed the affected units and started shooting sporadically making the people run for safety, while they carted away the ballot boxes in the process.
He noted that the two affected units had a total number of accredited voters of 266 and 128 respectively.
Oyebanji had during last week’s governorship debate in the state said, “I am offering myself to lead our people into a prosperous society.
“I am bringing to the table 11 years of experience in the public service at the state level, two years at the federal level.
“I am going to aggregate the best brains of Ekiti all over the world to help me achieve my dreams.”
The election, which was largely peaceful, according to independent observers, was nonetheless, marred by reports of vote buying and violence in some places.
The reports of massive vote buying prompted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to embark on a raid and made some arrests, though the Commissionis yet to make any public statementon the arrests captured by journalists on video and still camera.
Correspondents say no less than 50 persons were arrested by the EFCC, but the arrests and their identity are still wrapped up in secret by the anti-graft agency.Some voters were also sighted scrambling for money distributed by Party agents on ascertaining the Party voted for by the gullible voters who exposed who they voted for by displaying their ballot papers after casting their ballot in the voting cubicle.
