The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has sought the support of traditional rulers in Ekiti State towards ensuring a peaceful and credible governorship election scheduled for June 20, 2026.
The appeal was made during a meeting between the INEC chairman and members of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, as part of the Commission’s stakeholder engagements ahead of the election.
Professor Amupitan, who was received by the council’s chairman, represented by His Royal Majesty, Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole II, OFR, JP, urged royal fathers to use their influence in promoting peace and stability before, during and after the poll.
He noted that while electoral laws provide the foundation for credible elections, lasting peace is built within communities through the cooperation of traditional institutions and other stakeholders.
The INEC chairman informed the monarchs that the Commission was conducting its second readiness assessment visit to the state to review logistics, technology and security arrangements for the election.
He assured the traditional rulers of INEC’s preparedness and appealed for their support in protecting the peace and democratic process in Ekiti State.
Giving an update on the Commission’s preparations, Professor Amupitan disclosed that 1,059,360 voters are registered for the election, including 66,664 new voters recorded during the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
He added that the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) identified and removed 2,103 cases of multiple registrations from the voters’ register.
The INEC chairman stated that voting would hold across the state’s 16 Local Government Areas, 117 Registration Areas and 2,445 Polling Units, with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) deployed as the only means of voter accreditation.
He reiterated the Commission’s policy of “No PVC, No Accreditation, No Voting,” while assuring that results from each Polling Unit would be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to promote transparency.
On security arrangements, Professor Amupitan revealed that the Commission had identified areas requiring closer monitoring following its risk assessment exercise.
He listed Ado-Ekiti, Effon, Ekiti South West, Ikere, Irepodun/Ifelodun and Oye Local Government Areas as areas with concerns over political thuggery, cultism and possible disruption of the voting process.
He also identified Emure, Ikole, Ilejemeje and Moba Local Government Areas as requiring increased security attention due to kidnapping-related threats, while Ekiti East was highlighted over concerns about protecting critical infrastructure.
The INEC chairman said the identified risk locations had been communicated to security agencies, adding that 469 Polling Units located within a 500-metre radius of those areas would receive enhanced security coverage through coordinated deployment.
Professor Amupitan urged traditional rulers to encourage political actors in their communities to respect the Peace Accord and avoid actions capable of threatening the peaceful conduct of the election.
He also appealed to the royal fathers to mobilise eligible voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and participate peacefully in the electoral process.
The chairman expressed concern over voter inducement and vote buying, describing the practice as a threat to democratic values and credible elections.
He said the Commission was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to tackle the menace and ensure offenders face prosecution.
Professor Amupitan urged traditional rulers to continue educating their subjects on the consequences of selling their votes and stressed that electoral decisions should not be influenced by financial incentives.
The meeting ended with prayers from Oba Joseph Adebayo Adewole II, OFR, JP, for a peaceful, credible and successful conduct of the Ekiti State Governorship Election.