Afuye Commends Voters, INEC, Predicts APC Victory As PDP Raises Alarm Over BVAS

June 20, () — The Deputy Governor of Ekiti State and deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Mrs Monisade Afuye, on Saturday, commended voters across the state for what she described as a massive turnout in the ongoing governorship election, expressing confidence that the ruling party would emerge victorious at the end of collation.

Mrs Afuye also praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (Independent National Electoral Commission) (INEC) and security agencies for what she described as professionalism and impartiality in the conduct of the poll across the state.

Speaking shortly after casting her vote at Atiba/Aafin Ward 1, Polling Unit 003, in Ikere Ekiti at about 8:50 a.m., Afuye said the orderly conduct of voters reflected growing civic awareness and confidence in the electoral process.

She noted that reports from across Ekiti indicated strong voter participation across local government areas, describing the turnout as encouraging.

“You can see for yourselves how people trooped out to participate in this election. Not only trooping out, but being ready and anxious to participate in the voting. I am indeed impressed with this conduct of our voters,” she said.

The deputy governor, who is contesting alongside incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji on the APC ticket, said the enthusiasm of voters reflected broad acceptance of the party’s performance in the state.

She further commended INEC and security personnel deployed for the election, saying both institutions had so far demonstrated fairness and professionalism in managing the process.

“I have to commend the INEC as well and our security agencies. They really prepared for this election. You can see that nobody is being intimidated, and I believe if we continue like this, this election may turn out being the best in Ekiti history”, she stated.

Afuye urged political actors and supporters across party lines to comply strictly with electoral guidelines and avoid actions capable of disrupting the peaceful conduct of the exercise.

She expressed confidence that Governor Oyebanji would secure another term in office, insisting that his performance had earned him widespread acceptance across the state.

“Governor Oyebanji is not only winning this election, it is going to be by a wide margin”, she declared.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Wole Oluyede, raised concerns over the conduct of the election, alleging that the malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) disrupted accreditation at his polling unit.

Oluyede, who voted at Unit 6, Ward 3, Osagburu Family Hall, said the BVAS device failed at the early stage of voting, slowing down accreditation and affecting voter participation. He described the process as deeply flawed, insisting that the BVAS malfunction disenfranchised several voters.

“The electoral process is nonsense. A lot of my people are yet to vote because the BVAS is not functioning properly”, he said, adding that he would formally report the irregularities to the appropriate authorities, while calling on INEC to improve transparency and operational efficiency.

Oluyede also alleged harassment of some of his supporters at certain polling units, claiming that security operatives were intimidating voters aligned with his campaign.

“Some of my followers are being harassed at the polling units by security agencies, and no media is reporting the incident”, he alleged.

The PDP candidate, however, confirmed that he had cast his vote but remained at the polling unit to ensure that his supporters were able to exercise their franchise.

In a related development, some residents of Okitipupa in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State moved freely on Saturday despite a restriction order announced ahead of the Ondo South Senatorial by-election.

The state police command had earlier announced restriction of human and vehicular movement from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. across the senatorial district to ensure security during the election, which is being held across six local government areas, including Okitipupa, Ilaje, Ese-Odo, Irele, Odigbo and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.

However, checks across Okitipupa metropolis showed residents going about their normal activities, with shops open and commercial operations ongoing.

Commercial motorists and motorcycle operators were also observed working freely, while inter-state transporters in major motor parks reportedly did not comply with the restriction order.

Some residents said economic pressures influenced their decision to disregard the movement restriction.