Voters on Saturday chased away operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Iyin-Ekiti during the ongoing 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

The EFCC personnel were said to have stormed the polling unit to monitor and crack down on suspected vote-buying activities.

The voters were reportedly angered and resisted their presence and questioned their deployment, demanding their immediate departure.

The voters were said to have chased off the anti-graft operatives, forcing them to leave the scene while 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.

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The member representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency II in the House of Representatives, Kolawole David Akinlayo has expressed optimism over the prospects of the ruling party in the ongoing governorship election in Ekiti State, citing massive voter turnout across his constituency and strong support for Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s re-election bid.

Speaking with journalists shortly after casting his vote at Igogo Ward 2, Polling Unit 16 in Ikosun-Ekiti, Moba Local Government Area, Akinlayo said residents had come out in large numbers to vote for the candidate of his party, whom he identified as the incumbent governor seeking a second term in office.

The lawmaker described the turnout across the constituency as massive, attributing the large number of voters at polling units to sustained grassroots mobilisation and intensive campaigns carried out by party leaders ahead of the election.

According to him, the ruling party had embarked on rigorous campaigns across the three local government areas under his constituency to sensitise residents on the importance of participating in the electoral process and supporting the governor’s re-election.

Akinlayo revealed that as part of efforts to mobilise supporters and alleviate economic hardship, he distributed food items to residents across the three local government areas within his constituency on the eve of the election.

“The candidate of our party is the governor of the state. The governor is running for a second term and people are out to vote for him and return him as governor.

“We’ve campaigned rigorously. Yesterday, we advised them to come out as early as possible to vote for our candidate, which I believe they have done and will continue to do because they believe in us and they will cast their votes for the governor”.

Rights activist and chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Aisha Yesufu, on Saturday accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, of being blinded to vote-buying and electoral malpractices during elections.

Reacting to alleged vote-buying in Ekiti State, Yesufu said it should be decriminalised in Nigeria.

Posting on X, the activist noted that law-abiding Nigerians are at the receiving end of vote-buying in Nigeria.

He wrote: “At this rate, vote buying should be decriminalized in Nigeria. It does not make sense since it is those who are law abiding that gets punished for it!

“They do not do the vote buying and they are schemed out while others buy votes and waltz their way into office. @officialEFCC ‘s eagle is blindfolded during election.

“Instead of candidates wasting money on campaigns, let everyone wait for Election Day and bargain.

“The highest bidder wins and you save your money. This nonsense needs to stop.”

Meanwhile, there have been allegations of electoral malpractice in the ongoing gubernatorial election in the state.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Dare Bejide, alleged vote-buying and money sharing in his polling unit, while the police and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, refused to respond.