Only the polling agent of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was present at Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s polling unit as voting began in Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election.
When THE WHISTLER visited Polling Unit 003, located opposite the governor’s family compound in Okelele, Ikogosi, Ekiti West Local Government Area, a large number of voters had already arrived to cast their ballots.
However, only the APC polling agent was seen monitoring the process. Governor Oyebanji is expected to vote at the polling unit.
The development came less than 24 hours after the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wole Oluyede, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allowing the replacement of many of his party’s polling agents.
Oluyede had visited the INEC office in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, alleging that more than half of the PDP’s accredited agents across polling units were replaced without the party’s approval by individuals linked to the APC.
He said his protest was not addressed by electoral officials, who instead asked him to leave the commission’s premises. INEC has yet to publicly respond to the allegation.
At Governor Oyebanji’s polling unit, election officials declined to explain why agents from other political parties were absent.
The APC agent, identified as Ogundele Oluwatosin, was seen interacting with voters as accreditation and voting continued.
Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were stationed at the polling unit throughout the exercise but did not intervene in the process.
Checks at neighbouring polling units by THE WHISTLER showed a similar situation, with only APC agents present.
Some voters who spoke with our correspondent said they were not concerned about the absence of agents from other parties, adding that their priority was to cast their votes peacefully.
The election is being contested by Oyebanji of the APC, Oluyede of the PDP, Professor Oyebanji Olajuyin of the Labour Party, Ambassador Oluwadare Patrick Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside candidates of the Action Alliance (AA), Accord Party, Action Democratic Party (ADP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Boot Party (BP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), and other registered political parties.
(The Whistler)