By Law Ibitoye
As part of preparations for the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for June 20, 2026, a civil society organisation, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), has trained community based monitors and journalists on election violence prevention, resolution, and political finance tracking.
The two-day training, held in Ado-Ekiti, was themed “Strengthening Electoral Integrity: Monitoring Election Violence and Political Finance in Ekiti State.” Speaking with journalists, KDI Programme Manager, Barrister Bunmi Eyelade, said the initiative aims to monitor the election environment and provide early-warning signals to prevent violence and promote a free and credible election.
Eyelade explained that the training, organised under the Nigeria Election Violence Education and Resolution (NEVER) project, would equip participants with skills to document vote buying, excessive campaign spending, and other activities that could undermine the electoral process.
She noted that data gathered by the monitors would be shared with key stakeholders such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and election observers to enable timely intervention.
According to her, 45 individuals were selected for the long-term monitoring exercise, comprising 10 media professionals and 35 community-based observers drawn from the sixteen local government areas in the state.
Eyelade added that KDI would focus on tracking visible and measurable campaign expenditures, including media advertisements and campaign materials, to determine compliance with constitutionally approved spending limits, stressing that excessive spending often cause vote buying and election-related violence.
She said the initiative would help ensure accountability among political actors and contribute to the conduct of a credible governorship election in Ekiti State.
Some of the participants applauded the organisation for the training, saying they are better equipped and promised to work harmoniously with the organisation for violence free election .