Tension erupted on Saturday at Polling Unit 4, Ward 2, in Ilawe-Ekiti during the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election following a clash between supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) over alleged vote buying.
The incident briefly disrupted voting and left one ADC supporter with a head injury. The injured supporter was later taken to a hospital for treatment.
The ADC governorship candidate, Dare Bejide, who voted at the polling unit, alleged that some politicians attempted to influence voters by bringing cash to the area for distribution.
According to him, the alleged cash distribution sparked a confrontation after his supporters tried to stop the exercise.
Bejide further claimed that an APC chieftain arrived at the polling unit in a Toyota jeep with money intended for voters, a development he said triggered the violence.
He alleged that the situation escalated after attempts to intercept the money led to a heated exchange involving party supporters and security operatives.
“One of my aides was attacked by security personnel brought by them, and he has been taken to the hospital,” Bejide alleged.
He added that the alleged cash distribution was reported to security authorities, but the incident created panic and disrupted the peaceful conduct of the election.
Despite the disturbance, the ADC candidate commended officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their professionalism, noting that the election had been peaceful before the clash.
“The electoral officials have been very diligent, and everything was going smoothly before the pandemonium started,” he said.
Bejide said calm was later restored after additional security personnel were deployed to the area, allowing voting to resume under heightened security, although tension remained at the polling unit.
Photo: One of the ADC supporters injured during the clash
