By Oluwagbemiga Toye
Civil society organisations under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase Two (EU-SDGN II) programme have raised concerns over the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
The groups, during a media briefing in Ado Ekiti on Monday, warned that critical operational and security gaps could undermine the credibility of the election if not urgently addressed.
According to the pre-election assessment report presented by the Election Observation Hub, INEC’s preparedness across the 16 local government offices in Ekiti stood at 34 per cent as of April 14, 2026.
The groups identified delayed election funding, poor infrastructure, inadequate operational vehicles and challenges with collation centres as major concerns.
Also highlighted vote buying, political thuggery, disinformation and possible militarisation of election security as key threats to the poll. Adding that Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, Moba and Ilejemeje local government areas were classified as high-risk areas, while Efon, Ikere and Oye were listed as medium-risk zones.
The groups further expressed concern over the exclusion of women and persons with disabilities from the governorship race, noting that none of the 13 political parties fielded a female candidate.
They urged INEC to improve election preparedness, strengthen BVAS and IReV systems and intensify voter education ahead of the election.The report was jointly signed by CEMESO, ElectHER, IPC, NWTF, TAF Africa, The Kukah Centre and Yiaga Africa.
