. According to the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Returning Officer, Mr David Arabanbi, Olaniyi polled 4,837 votes to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Mr. Gbenga Afilaka who scored 2, 568 votes and his Labour Party (LP) counterpart, Mr. Babatunde Yinka who got 239 votes. The by-election was to provide a replacement for the late deputy speaker of the State House of Assembly, Saliu Adeoti, who died recently.
Prior to the announcement of the results, election opposition parties had cried foul, alledging that the by-election was marred by violence and rigging, especially in Otun-Ekiti and two isolated villages, Osan and Osun. One person was allegedly feared dead while two others were beaten to a state of coma in Otun-Ekiti.
At a polling unit tagged Near Olofin Obaoye 001 at Osan ward, election materials meant for the unit were allegedly snatched by some people in police uniform.
According to the Polling Clerk, who preferred anonomity, some men, suspected to be political thugs stormed his polling unit and began to shoot into the air to scare away the electorate who were on queue and descended on him and the Independent National ElectoralCommission (INEC) Presiding Officer beating them black and blue.
He said while some of the men were on them, others carted away booklets of unused ballot papers, papers leaving the transparent ballot box behind.
Labour Party chieftain, Segun Akinwumi corroborated the polling clerk saying, alleging that policemen and security agents were being used by the state government to snatch electoral materials and ballot boxes in the remote village, shooting sporadically into the air to ward off members of other political parties participating in the election.
He said the policemen and some people in mufti, who were non natives of the village came in buses marked with the state Government House registration number.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Isiaku Maigoro, who incidentally was in Osan confirmed the incident, expressing disappointment in the politicians who were resident outside the constituency, storming the wards where the election took place. Their action, he said was contrary to the agreement reached with the commission at a meeting with all stakeholders.
A group of armed policemen, was seen moving from one polling unit to another. Akinyemi alleged that the stern-looking policemen were the ones scaring away the electorate from the polling units, while the electoral materials were being carted away to undisclosed locations for thumb-printing.
Source:http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2010/dec/23/national-23-12-2010-017.htm
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