Oluyede, the PDP governorship candidate, has raised concerns over slow accreditation and voting in his polling unit, accusing INEC of process failures and alleging police harassment of voters in Ikere. The single sharpest fact that will stop you from scrolling is that voters in one of the polling units waited for 90 minutes for accreditation, with only five people accredited during that time — and police harassment is said to be ongoing near Ikere City Hall.
'That's what they do all the time. So I am suspecting that there's something wrong with the INEC process,' Mr Oluyede said on Saturday after voting.
Speaking to journalists after casting his ballot at Ugele Arokun Ward 3, Unit 6 in Ikere-Ekiti, Mr Oluyede said voters had waited for about 90 minutes in his unit with only five people accredited, citing delayed deployment of technical support as part of the electoral process's failures.
The INEC's Registered Area Technical Support (RATECH) has been unavailable for about 45 minutes, leaving thousands of voters stuck, unable to cast their votes. Mr Oluyede believes that INEC's lack of preparedness has disenfranchised many residents of Ikere. He said, 'They have been calling the INEC's Registered Area Technical Support (RATECH) for the last 45 minutes. No response. INEC cannot disenfranchise these people.'
Mr Oluyede, the elder brother of Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, also alleged police intimidation near Ikere City Hall, saying, 'Go to that place, the Garage axis beside Ikere City Hall, there is an array of policemen harassing people.'
At this rate, many residents would be unable to cast ballots because, at the current rate of five voters per hour, thousands of people would have been disenfranchised.
As the election progresses, citizens of Ikere are worried that the delayed voting process will affect the outcome of the election, given that thousands of voters are disenfranchised. This concern is being raised by opposition governorship candidate, Wole Oluyede, and election observers alike.
With many polling units facing similar challenges in Ikere, the people of Ekiti have to wait and see if their votes will truly count.
Mr Oluyede believes that the electoral body has failed to prepare adequately for the election, which has caused significant disruptions to the voting process. He is demanding that INEC rectify the situation immediately and ensure that the votes of citizens are counted.
Oluyede has announced that he will be remaining at the polling unit to monitor the situation and ensure that the process is run smoothly without further delays.
The people of Ikere, however, are calling for an end to the electoral commission's incompetence and inefficiency.
The election, which began earlier today, has been marred by several incidents of irregularities and electoral malpractices in the last 24 hours.
The people of Ekiti deserve to know if their votes will truly count in this election.