Over 1 million voters to decide Oyebanji and others’ fate in Ekiti election today

After weeks of campaigns and political manoeuvring, 1,028,929 eligible voters in Ekiti State will today troop to the polling units to elect a governor among 13 candidates contesting the election.

The candidates are: Opeyemi Falegan (Accord), Oluwasegun Akande (AAC), Oluwadare Bejide (ADC), Ojo Ayodeji (ADP), Olanrewaju Anifowose (APM), Biodun Oyebanji (APC), Dr Oluwole Oluyede (PDP), Olaiya Awogbemi (APP), Oyebanji Olajuyin (LP), Praise Ayodele (PRP), Damilola Adetunji (ZLP), Olusegun Osinkolu (YPP) and Blessing Abegunde (NNPP).

The governorship candidate of the APM, Chief Joseph Anifowose, had stepped down and endorsed Governor Biodun Oyebanji for re-election, while the SDP is also backing the incumbent governor. It was learned that the PDP candidate, Dr Oluwole Oluyede, is enjoying the support of members and supporters of the Accord Party.

A total of 1,028,929 voters, 97.1 per cent of the state’s 1,059,360 registered voters, collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the poll.

The number of registered voters had grown from 987,647 to 1,059,360 after the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the subsequent clean-up of the voters’ register, said the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, who visited the state recently.

The election will be held in 2,445 polling units in 177 wards across all the 16 local government areas of the state.

Police handcuffs

The Ekiti State Police Command has announced restriction on vehicular movement across the state from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. today as part of measures to ensure a peaceful and violence-free governorship election.

The command, in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sunday Abutu, said the restriction covered all the roads and highways across the state.

“This vehicular movement restriction is expected to restrict the movement of political thugs and other criminal elements that may want to disrupt the electoral process,” the statement said.

Students sitting national examinations, designated INEC officials, accredited journalists, election observers, medical personnel and emergency responders would be exempted from the restriction, the police said.

The command further warned that VIPs would not be allowed to move with armed escorts to polling units and collation centers.

“The movement of VIPs with armed escorts or security aides to polling units and collation centres is strongly discouraged and will not be tolerated,” the statement said.

It also made it impossible for vigilante groups and other quasi-security outfits to provide security services during the election.

“Security in and around designated election facilities shall be provided only by officers and personnel of security agencies which are members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

The police cautioned that anyone that violates the directive or attempts to jeopardize the electoral process would be treated in line with the law.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, CP Abayomi Shogunle, appealed to voters to come out peacefully to exercise their franchise, assuring residents of adequate security before, during and after the poll.

Sensitive Material Deployed

Sensitive election materials were on Thursday moved from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Ado-Ekiti under the supervision of INEC officials led by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi.

Prior to the materials being escorted to the various local government areas, security agencies, election observers, civil society organisations and media representatives observed the sorting and distribution exercise.

Security Presence Increases

Security personnel drafted for the election, including operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, Army, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Immigration Service, have been deployed across the state.

Recall that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has deployed 10,000 personnel to Ekiti State to provide security for the forthcoming governorship election.

The Corps said the deployment was in line with its statutory responsibility to ensure a peaceful, credible and violence free electoral process.

The personnel, according to a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi on Wednesday, were drawn from several state commands including Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Ogun and Kogi as well as operational reinforcements from Zones 11 and 6.

Security operatives were already positioned on strategic locations in Ado-Ekiti and major highways linking the state with Kogi, Kwara, Ondo and Osun states as at Friday evening.

Identified flashpoints

Through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), INEC identified between 469 and 500 polling units as vulnerable areas that need additional security deployment.

Yiaga Africa also expressed concerns over possible flashpoints in Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, Oye, Ikere, Ilejemeje and Moba local government areas, citing security concerns and recent incidents of kidnapping which could affect voter confidence and movement.

CSOs challenge stakeholders

The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Election Observation Hub has called on the INEC, political parties, security agencies, media and voters to be responsible and ensure a credible election.

The group made up of the Kukah Centre, TAF Africa, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) urged INEC to ensure the timely deployment of election materials and seamless electronic transmission of results.

“Ensure the smooth electronic transmission of validated polling unit results in real-time as provided in the Electoral Act 2026 and release results transparently and timely at all levels,” the group said.

The coalition called on political parties to respect the Peace Accord and to eschew violence, intimidation and vote-buying.

“We call on political parties and candidates to condemn all forms of vote trading and vote buying and to reject the use of thuggery and the dissemination of fake news, misinformation and disinformation that can cause violence.

The group also urged security agencies to remain neutral and professional during the election period, and called on the media to verify all information before publishing and not to report unofficial results.

The election is significant because it would be the first governorship election under the Electoral Act 2026, Yiaga Africa said.

The Chairperson of its 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, Aisha Abdullahi, said there were concerns over inclusion in the electoral process.

Notably, no candidate openly identifies as a person with disabilities. This is a serious concern about the persistence of exclusion in political recruitment and nomination of candidates.”

Yiaga Africa also warned that vote buying was still a major threat to the credibility of the election.

Vote-buying remains one of the biggest threat to the integrity of the election that political actors across party line may take advantage of, the group said.

Media Called On To Be Professional

The International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) have called on journalists covering the election to be professional and ensure their safety.

“Journalists must not do anything that could jeopardise their neutrality,” said Lanre Arogundade, IPC Executive Director.

“Journalists should be impartial. “Partisanship is not only being a member of a political party but also using expressions, symbols and colours which identify with a political party or personality,” he said.

He also advised journalists to always show their accreditation and identification tags to avoid unnecessary harassment by security personnel.

Likewise, CEMESO Executive Director, Dr Akin Akingbulu, emphasized the need to provide a safe working environment for journalists covering the election.

Stakeholders Call for Peaceful Poll

Meanwhile, a coalition of electoral stakeholders under the auspices of the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) and the Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija) appealed to INEC, security agencies, political actors and voters to maintain transparency, integrity and peaceful conduct during the election.

Stakeholders voiced concerns over vote-buying, voter apathy, and declining public trust in elections, urging INEC to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act, especially the electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

They also appealed to voters, particularly the youth, to actively participate in the election and shun vote trading.

The stakeholders expressed optimism that compliance with the electoral laws and guidelines would boost public confidence and lead to a free, fair and credible governorship election in Ekiti State.