The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Joash Ojo Amupitan, has assured political parties and voters in Ekiti State that the commission will conduct a free, fair, and credible governorship election on June 20, 2026.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Wednesday during an engagement in Ado-Ekiti focused on assessing INEC’s readiness for the off-cycle governorship election and presentation of the updated voters register to political parties.
According to him, the exercise forms part of the commission’s constitutional responsibility to strengthen transparency, integrity, and credibility within the electoral process.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission had already completed seven out of the nine major activities listed in the election timetable.
He explained that the remaining activities include the conclusion of political campaigns on June 18 and the governorship election itself on June 20, 2026.
Amupitan also revealed that the updated voters register in Ekiti State increased significantly following the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.
According to him, the number of registered voters rose from about 900,000 recorded during the 2023 election to approximately 1,059,660 voters.
He noted that the increase represented the addition of about 66,000 new voters.
The INEC chairman explained that although more than 68,000 individuals initially registered, over 2,000 cases of double registration were detected and removed through the commission’s Automated Fingerprint Identification System, AFIS.
“The voters register is the foundation upon which free, fair and credible elections are built,” he stated.
Amupitan urged political parties to scrutinize the register carefully and report any discrepancies promptly.
He also warned against vote buying and vote trading, describing both practices as criminal offences under the Electoral Act.
According to him, political parties are expected to sign a peace accord on Thursday ahead of the election as part of efforts to promote peaceful campaigns and issue-based politics.
The INEC chairman additionally cited the conduct of the Anambra governorship election under his leadership as evidence of the commission’s commitment to transparency, noting that 93 percent of election results were uploaded to the IReV portal by 7 p.m. on election day.
Earlier, the Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said preparations had been intensified through engagements with security agencies, political parties, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, and media stakeholders.
He added that logistics arrangements, BVAS deployment, transportation, and secure distribution of sensitive materials had also been strengthened ahead of the poll.
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