The Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Action Democratic Party (ADP) have described the results of the just-concluded Ekiti governorship election as “unacceptable”.
Biodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was announced winner of the election on Sunday.
Oyebanji secured 187,057 votes, defeating his two closest challengers — Segun Oni of the SDP who polled 82,211 votes, and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who got 67,457 votes.
Speaking on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti Owoseni Ajayi, collation agent of the SDP, said the outcome of the results was rejected by the party.
He added that the outcome will be challenged at the tribunal.
He also said the SDP candidate dismissed the results announced by the electoral body, adding that it did not reflect the true decision of the people.
“We are rejecting the results because the election was characterised by violence and intimidation of voters,” Ajayi said.
“As a result, we will definitely challenge the outcome of this result in the court of law for posterity and generations coming to know that when conducting elections, you must follow the rules and procedures.”
According to NAN, efforts to speak with Segun Oni proved abortive as he was not allowed to see or speak with anyone.
Meanwhile, in a statement signed by Femi Eponlolaye, state chairman of ADP in Ado-Ekiti, Kemi Elebute-Halle, the party’s governorship candidate, alleged that the election was characterised by vote-buying and harassment of her party members.
“The victory of Mr Biodun Oyebanji in the just concluded governorship election ordinarily would have been accepted by me, if the election had not been fraught by electoral malpractices,” she said.
“In spite of various sensitisation programmes and media publicity against vote buying, the APC, PDP and SDP actually promoted and encouraged corruption, both at the grassroots and the state levels.
“Though the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pronounced Oyebanji as the winner of this election, I, Kemi Elebute-Halle, hereby reject the result of this election.
“It was not credible, neither was it free nor fair. His APC thugs destabilised my strongholds across the state, attacked our members, snatched and destroyed our ballot boxes.
“All those votes, including those obtained by PDP, will be cancelled at the tribunal.
“I want to use this medium to urge my followers not to be discouraged about the outcome of the election. We shall continue to promote our great party, the ADP.”