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From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Ahead of the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, has cautioned voters and politicians against vote buying, selling and other forms of electoral inducements.
The INEC chair said that the practice undermines the nation’s democratic process and remained one of the biggest challenges confronting elections in the country.
Amupitan issued the warning in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the state during the official publication of the voters’ register and presentation to political parties for the June poll, as part of the Commission’s preparation for the exercise.
Emphasising the importance of issue-based campaign, Amupitan warned candidates of political parties and their supporters against adopting smear-based approach that focuses on character assassination and personal attacks.
While maintaining that the electoral body remained committed to conducting a free, fair and transparent election in the state, the INEC Boss noted that the publication of the voters’ register marked a critical constitutional and statutory step toward the governorship poll.
He disclosed that the voters’ register in Ekiti had increased from about 900,000 recorded during the 2023 elections to 1,059,360 voters in 2026, following the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
He pointed out that, though, over 68,000 fresh registrations were initially recorded, more than 2,000 cases of double registration were detected and removed through the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to ensure the credibility of the register.
The INEC boss assured electorate that votes cast during the election would count, hinting that technological innovations and timely electronic transmission of results have significantly improved electoral credibility and reduced disputes.
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He charged political parties to mobilise supporters peacefully and called
on eligible voters to come out en masse on election day and exercise their civic responsibility to elect the candidate of their choice
“One of the major challenges and constraints to our electoral process is the issue of vote buying or vote trading. This is a criminal offence under the Electoral Act, and it is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies, especially the EFCC, ICPC and the police, to ensure that those involved are arrested and promptly prosecuted.
“We urge all political parties to refrain from vote trading because it is a big minus to the electoral process in Nigeria.
“We shall be signing the peace accord tomorrow. The election must be run peacefully and campaigns must be based on issues and not on personality. Let us walk the talk.
“The voters’ register is the foundation upon which free, fair and credible elections are built. Its accuracy, completeness and integrity are paramount to ensuring that every eligible voter’s voice is heard.”
The Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner(REC), Bunmi Omoseyindemi, earlier in his remarks, said the state office of the commission had intensified preparations for the governorship election through stakeholders’ engagements, voter education campaigns, security coordination, training of personnel and deployment of election technology.
The REC noted that arrangements for logistics, BVAS deployment, transportation and distribution of sensitive materials had also been strengthened to ensure a peaceful, transparent and inclusive election across the state’s 16 Local Government Areas.
He appealed to political parties, candidates and supporters to conduct themselves responsibly and comply strictly with the Electoral Act and guidelines issued by the commission.
Present at the event included representatives of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), among others.
