ELECTION observer group Yiaga Africa has raised concerns over inconsistencies in election materials deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election.
In a preliminary statement during the election on Saturday, June 20, the group said it identified discrepancies on ballot papers, polling-unit result sheets and the final list of candidates published by INEC.
Yiaga Africa said its observers, deployed to 250 randomly sampled polling units across the state, reported the inconsistencies during the early stages of voting.
According to the group, the Form EC8A polling-unit result sheets contain space for 15 political parties, while the ballot papers used for the election contain space for 19 parties.
However, INEC’s final list of candidates, as updated on its website on June 18, reflects only 14 political parties participating in the election.
The organisation warned that the discrepancies could create confusion during voting, vote counting and collation.
“These inconsistencies might create confusion during voting and collation. Where result sheets include parties that are not on the ballot, presiding officers may record zero votes for parties that voters did not see. Conversely, where voters cast ballots for parties not reflected on the result sheet, such actions could create uncertainty in recording, reconciliation, and collation,” the group said.
Yiaga Africa attributed the inconsistencies to developments that followed the publication of INEC’s initial list of candidates in January 2026, including court rulings and administrative changes affecting parties’ participation in the election.
The group noted that some of the changes did not appear to have been fully reflected across all election materials and may not have been adequately communicated to the public.
The organisation called on INEC to immediately clarify the final list of participating parties and candidates and explain the differences between the ballot papers, result sheets and previous announcements.
It also urged the commission to issue clear written guidelines to presiding officers and collation officials on how to complete result sheets in line with the law and relevant court judgments.
The Ekiti governorship election is being contested by 12 political parties across 2,445 polling units in 177 wards, with over one million registered voters expected to participate in the exercise.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M