Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were chased away by angry voters at Polling Unit 10, Ward B, in Iyin-Ekiti during the ongoing 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The anti-graft team arrived at the polling unit while voting was actively in progress to monitor and crack down on suspected vote-buying activities.
However, their presence provoked stiff resistance from the crowd, with voters openly confronting the officials, questioning their deployment, and demanding their immediate departure.
Insisting that there was absolutely no evidence of financial malpractice at their station, the confrontational voters successfully forced the operatives to leave the scene, allowing the voting process to continue without any further interruption.
The drama unfolded amidst a wave of massive vote-buying allegations rocking the governorship race across different parts of Ekiti State.
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission and various anti-corruption bodies repeatedly warned against voter inducement, widespread manipulation has been reported.
In Aramoko Ekiti, the hometown of the mother of the incumbent governor and All Progressives Congress candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, multiple voters openly admitted to receiving cash to influence their choices.
According to a report by Sahara Reporters, at least five voters confirmed they were paid 10,000 Naira each by party agents to cast their ballots for the ruling APC.
Journalists monitoring the election witnessed highly organized financial inducement operations happening right in the open near the voting booths.
At Polling Unit 004, Chief Ologbodo’s House in Aramoko, party agents openly approached individuals with cash offers. An agent representing the ruling APC offered 10,000 Naira to secure support for Governor Oyebanji’s re-election bid, while a representative from the opposition African Democratic Congress offered 2,000 Naira to secure a vote for their candidate, Dare Bejide.
Earlier in the day, a separate team of about ten anti-graft officials had stormed Governor Oyebanji’s personal polling unit, Polling Unit 003 in Ikogosi, Ekiti West Local Government Area, to monitor the environment just after voting commenced at 9:05 a.m., though no arrests were made at that specific location.
The election which features 1,059,360 registered voters across 2,445 polling units, has largely turned into a three-way battle between Governor Oyebanji of the APC, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Dare Bejide of the ADC.