Civil society organisations under the Election Observation Hub yesterday warned that the credibility of the June 20 Ekiti State governorship election could be severely undermined by delayed funding and poor operational preparedness by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The groups, working under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase Two (EU-SDGN II) programme, said INEC’s preparedness level for the election was only 34 per cent as of April 14.
Presenting a Pre-Election Assessment Report during a media briefing in Abuja, the coalition warned that the election faced “structural vulnerabilities serious enough to challenge its credibility if left unaddressed”.
The report by the Centre for Media and Society, ElectHER, International Press Centre, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa, The Kukah Centre and Yiaga Africa said: “A 34 per cent, INEC preparedness rate, delayed election funding, an effectively uncontested political space, zero female candidates across 13 parties, and a media environment partially suppressed by a punitive levy are not the markers of a conducive electoral environment.
“They are warning signs and this report names them as such.” The coalition described the election as the first major test of the Electoral Act 2026 and a crucial dress rehearsal ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to the report, although the political atmosphere in Ekiti remains relatively calm, the situation should not be mistaken for democratic stability.
It said: “The election is widely perceived as uncompetitive, shaped by the residual advantage of incumbency, an apparent elite consensus around the sitting governor, resource asymmetry between the ruling and opposition parties, and internal contradictions within opposition platforms.”
The organisations noted that while INEC had completed Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) and commenced activities such as BVAS inventory checks, network mapping, RAC assessments and stakeholder engagements, critical gaps remained unresolved.
