Ekiti Poll Free, Fair, Credible, INEC Tells Tribunal

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the Election Petition Tribunal that the June 18 governorship election it conducted in Ekiti State was free, fair, credible and conducted in line with global best practices.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Adeniran Tella, said the commission’s officials, who conducted the election, complied with the Electoral Act and election guidelines.

Tella, represented by the Deputy Director and Head of Operations, Ekiti INEC Office, Mr. Temitope Oluwaseun Aina, said the commission was not aware of vote buying as alleged by the petitioners, adding that there was no inflation of figure in any of the units where the election was conducted.

The INEC chief, who was summoned by subpoena to give evidence at the tribunal, while under cross-examination by counsel for the respondents, affirmed that the total number of votes cast and collated by the electoral agency during the Ekiti governorship poll corresponded with the number of voters accredited.

The witness said the Bimodal Voters Authentication System (BVAS) machines used to accredit voters functioned well and perfectly and were not compromised during the poll, adding that there was no manual collation and indiscriminate recording at any of the polling units.

Chief Segun Oni, who lost the governorship election and his party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who are the 1st and 2nd petitioners, are before the tribunal challenging the result declared by INEC, which returned Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the election.

Respondents in the petition are Governor-elect Oyebanji (1st), APC (2nd), Alhaji Mai Mala Buni (3rd), INEC (4th) and Deputy Governor-elect Mrs. Monisade Afuye (5th).