The Peoples Democratic Party has alleged that Nigeria’s democratic process has been reduced to vote buying, following the conduct of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The party’s spokesperson in Ekiti State, Atofarati Sanya, made the allegation during an interview on Arise Television on Saturday night while reacting to the governorship poll held across the state.
Sanya accused members of the ruling All Progressives Congress of engaging in vote trading at polling units, alleging that the practice occurred openly without intervention from security agencies.
“Democracy in Nigeria is now reduced to trading of votes as against the Electoral Act,” he said.
He described the situation as unfortunate, claiming that APC members were allegedly seen around polling units engaging in activities inconsistent with electoral regulations.
“What we have witnessed in Ekiti State is sad and unfortunate. APC was at the polling units unchecked,” Sanya stated.
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lThe PDP spokesman further expressed concern over the role of security agencies during the election, alleging that authorities failed to prevent the reported irregularities despite their presence at voting centres.
“It’s unfortunate security authorities were present and could not checkmate these abnormalities,” he added.
The allegations come amid the conclusion of the Ekiti governorship election, which saw voters across the state’s 16 local government areas cast their ballots to elect a governor for another four-year term.
While the PDP raised concerns over the conduct of the exercise, election officials and security agencies have yet to formally respond to the allegations of vote buying and electoral misconduct.
The Ekiti governorship election was closely monitored by political parties, observers and civil society groups, with the outcome expected to shape the state’s political landscape ahead of future electoral contests.