The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised to conduct the June 20 gubernatorial election coming up in Ekiti State ensuring fairness and transparency.
This is just as the INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, cautioned political parties and stakeholders against vote buying and other tendencies against electoral laws in the interest of democracy.
Amupitan spoke yesterday in Ado-Ekiti during the official publication of the voters’ register and presentation to political parties for the governorship election. The INEC chairman said vote trading remained one of the biggest challenges confronting elections in Nigeria, urging parties and their supporters to avoid actions capable of undermining the credibility of the electoral process.
He stressed that political parties must demonstrate commitment to democratic values by conducting issue based campaigns and avoiding monetary inducement of voters. According to him, campaigns should focus on issues rather than personal attacks or divisive rhetoric, adding that the Commission remained committed to conducting a free, fair and transparent election in the state.
The INEC boss noted that the publication of the voters’ register marked a critical constitutional and statutory step toward the governorship poll, revealing that the voters’ register in Ekiti had increased from about 900,000 recorded during the 2023 elections to 1,059,360 voters in 2026, following the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
His words: “One of the major challenges and constraints to our electoral process is the issue of vote buying or vote trading. This is a criminal offence under the Electoral Act, and it is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, especially the EFCC, ICPC and the police, to ensure that those involved are arrested and promptly prosecuted.
“We urge all political parties to refrain from vote trading because it is a big minus to the electoral process in Nigeria. “The voters’ register is the foundation upon which free, fair and credible elections are built. Its accuracy, completeness and integrity are paramount to ensuring that every eligible voter’s voice is heard.”
Earlier, the Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Bunmi Omosehindemi, said the state office of the Commission had intensified preparations for the governorship election through stakeholder engagements, voter education campaigns, security coordination, training of personnel and deployment of election technology.
Present at the presentation of voters’ register included the representatives of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), Non-governmental organisations and other relevant stakeholders.
