THE Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room has said that the Ekiti State governorship election, scheduled for tomorrow, June 20, will determine the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible elections in 2027.
Comprising 70 civil society organisations working to promote credible, transparent, and democratic elections in Nigeria, the group said it would deploy election observers across 16 Local Government Areas of the state to monitor the poll.
Addressing journalists in Ado-Ekiti, its leaders, including Ene Obi, immediate past Co-Convener, Situation Room; Celestine Okwudili, ActionAid Nigeria Head of Programme and Policy; Mma Odi, current Co-Convener, Situation Room; and Franklin Oloniju, Executive Director, Life and Peace Development Organization said the Ekiti election would show how INEC would implement key reforms introduced by the amended Electoral Act.
“The observation mission seeks to independently assess the conduct of the election against the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the 2026 Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines and Regulations as well as international standards for democratic elections.
“Situation Room will also assess the elections, using its credibility threshold for the 2027 general elections, whose main theme is focused on restoring confidence in the electoral process, and hoping that this will be achieved by increased integrity of elections, improved delivery of elections, and greater engagement and involvement of citizens in the electoral process.”
The group said its preliminary impression of the poll showed that the situation in the state had been calm and peaceful on the eve of the election, and citizens were carrying on regular life.
It also said the distribution of sensitive materials to LGAs by INEC had been hitch-free.
The Situation Room however decried low-level competition among political parties in the exercise and promised to focus on the participation of residents in hard-to-reach communities. it also stressed that its attention would be on attitudes of security officials deployed for the poll.
“Citizens should be able to exercise their democratic right without fear, intimidation, violence or harassment,” the group stated.
“As part of its pre-election assessment, CLEEN Foundation, one of Situation Room’s partners, identified Ado-Ekiti LGA as the highest risk location because of the concentration of political actors and election-related activities…
”Historically, off-cycle elections in Ekiti State have raised concerns of voter inducement, known as ‘stomach infrastructure,’ and the influence of money in the electoral process,” said the group.
The ICIR reports that the state has remained peaceful, with residents going about their lawful activities. Early morning downpours on Friday, however, kept most residents indoors in Ado and surrounding communities.
Security personnel comprising of the military, police, and other agencies have been deployed to the state capital, with patrol teams monitoring major streets ahead of the election.
The INEC had earlier reported that 1,028,929 out of 1,059,360 total registered voters in the state have collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs). It also reported that the State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who is seeking re-election, would vie for the most exalted political seat in the state with 10 other political parties.
Marcus bears the light, and he beams it everywhere. He's a good governance and decent society advocate. He's The ICIR Reporter of the Year 2022 and has been the organisation's News Editor since September 2023. Contact him via email @ mfatunmole@icirnigeria.org