The Accord Party candidate in the 20 June governorship election in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Falegan, has instructed his legal team to file a petition before the Election Petition Tribunal challenging the victory of Governor Biodun Oyebanji. Mr Falegan, a businessman and philanthropist, announced that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would also be joined as a respondent over its conduct of the election. In a statement on Sunday, he alleged that the election was marred by vote-buying, malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and intimidation of voters.
“We will meet in court. The evidence is overwhelming. From vote buying in broad daylight, to BVAS malfunction, to the militarisation of polling units and intimidation of voters, Ekiti people were denied their right to choose freely,” the candidate said.
Evidence and Allegations
Mr Falegan said his legal team is compiling documentary evidence, including copies of Forms EC8A, EC8B and EC8C that allegedly show discrepancies between votes cast and the figures announced. The evidence also includes video and photographic materials purportedly showing incidents of vote-buying and the omission of the Accord Party logo on some ballot papers across several local government areas. Additional materials to be presented include BVAS error logs, incident reports on manual accreditation and device failures, witness statements from party agents and voters, and affidavits from polling unit supervisors alleging that votes cast for the Accord Party were excluded.
Election Results and Reactions
INEC Chief Returning Officer, Adenike Oladiji, Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), declared Governor Oyebanji the winner in the early hours of Sunday. Mr Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes, defeating his closest rival, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who secured 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Oluwadare Bejide, came third with 12,872 votes and has also rejected the result, alleging irregularities. Mr Falegan placed fifth with 564 votes out of 14 candidates.
Observer Reports
Election observer groups, including Yiaga Africa, the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), had earlier reported incidents of vote-buying, inconsistencies in sensitive election materials, and malfunctioning voter accreditation devices. Their findings align with reports from PREMIUM TIMES, which documented allegations of vote-buying, complaints about electoral procedures, and isolated disruptions during the poll.
Specific Grievances
Mr Falegan alleged that his party’s agents observed the Accord Party logo was omitted from ballot papers in some polling units. He further claimed that votes cast for him were not announced at some polling units and were subsequently excluded during collation, with figures on Form EC8A allegedly altered before transmission. He also alleged that some INEC officials were instructed not to count votes cast for the Accord Party, an action he argued contravenes Section 64 of the Electoral Act 2022.
