Following the conclusion of the 2026 Ekiti State candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Otunba Olugbenga Peter Obafemi, has rated the conduct of the exercise exceptionally low, alleging that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force were “very much compromised.”
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, Obafemi claimed that the election was heavily marred by targeted voter intimidation, structural sabotage, and widespread financial inducement that directly undermined the will of the electorate.
Dismissing claims that the opposition is merely crying foul, Obafemi stated that he personally witnessed aggressive vote-buying while casting his ballot.
”In my own polling unit, I went to cast my vote, and coming out, I was shocked,” Obafemi revealed. “I saw someone with bag loads of money… being protected by the police.”
The SDP candidate strongly implied the individual belonged to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that when he questioned security officials about why a man was permitted in a polling booth with millions of Naira, he was simply told the individual would be moved. He added that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) later raided the same area.
Addressing his party’s poor showing on the official scoreboard, Obafemi argued that the SDP was systematically disadvantaged by internal friction and deliberate administrative delays.
He disclosed that the INEC Chairman only arrived in Ekiti on June 11 to announce, for the very first time, that the SDP would even be permitted on the ballot.
This severely compressed the campaign window for his team, though he maintained that the party’s actual support on the ground vastly exceeded the numbers officially credited to them by INEC.
When confronted with claims from the APC that the opposition was non-existent on the streets and only active on social media, Obafemi shot back, accusing the state government of completely muscling advertising spaces and destroying opposition posters within hours of deployment.
He concluded with a sobering warning to the people of the state regarding the long-term cost of taking cash for ballots.
”Our people are suffering,” Obafemi lamented. “How can somebody sell their tomorrow for 10,000 or 15,000 Naira? They believe collecting this will give them dinner for tonight, but they forget that there will be four years and many days of no food.”
