Ekiti election exposed: N5,000 vote buying, PVC theft, and police violence

So the Ekiti governorship election wey happened yesterday, na pure madness. INEC declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji winner with 319,224 votes, but the story behind that number is dirty. Wole Oluyede of PDP got 40,543, and Ambassador Dare Bejide of ADC got 12,872 — but the election was marred by violence, vote buying, and alleged PVC distribution from outside the state.

According to reports, security operatives attached to a presidential aide attacked Bejide's driver at Ilawe polling unit in Ward 2, Ekiti South LGA. The man was dragged from his vehicle and assaulted, leaving him with severe injuries. Meanwhile, party agents were caught on camera inducing voters with cash ranging from N5,000 to N20,000. The EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub reported 24 incidents of violence across 10 local government areas. And get this — there are videos of APC distributing uncollected PVCs to people suspected to be from outside Ekiti.

The Movement for Credible Elections, led by Wale Okunniyi, called for investigation, saying this threatens the credibility of Nigeria's democracy. But INEC just went ahead and declared results. How can we trust this system when the people meant to protect the vote are the ones helping to steal it?