The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has commenced the distribution of sensitive election materials for Saturday’s governorship election and the accompanying senatorial and House of Representatives by-elections in Ekiti State.
The distribution exercise began at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Ado Ekiti, where INEC officials were seen sorting and packaging election materials for onward delivery to the state’s 16 local government areas.
The venue witnessed heightened activity on Thursday, with security operatives maintaining a strong presence as arrangements were finalised for the movement of the materials. Police personnel were also being deployed to various locations ahead of the polls.
Speaking on the exercise, the Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, expressed satisfaction with the process, describing it as smooth and orderly. He assured stakeholders that all sensitive materials would be delivered to their designated destinations before the commencement of voting.
Meanwhile, INEC has announced a significant increase in the number of registered voters in the state ahead of the election.
In a statement issued by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, the commission disclosed that the voter register grew from 987,647 registered voters in 2023 to 1,059,360 in 2026.
The electoral body also revealed that the number of collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) rose from 958,052 in 2023 to 1,028,929 in 2026.
This represents a PVC collection rate of 97 per cent and covers 97.1 per cent of registered voters in the state.
The figures were released as INEC confirmed the successful conclusion of the PVC collection exercise ahead of Saturday’s election.
The commission recalled that the exercise, initially scheduled to end on June 11, 2026, was extended to June 14 following consultations with stakeholders during a meeting held in Ado Ekiti.
INEC further disclosed that it received 14,406 applications from voters seeking replacement PVCs due to loss, damage or defacement of their original cards, in line with the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.
According to the commission, all 14,406 replacement PVCs were produced within the stipulated period, with the majority already collected by eligible voters.
The electoral body, however, noted that plans to introduce downloadable replacement voter cards could not be implemented for the Ekiti election because the required technological infrastructure is yet to be fully completed.
“The option of a downloadable copy of the lost, damaged or defaced voter cards could not be implemented in this election because the necessary technology infrastructure for this is yet to be completed,” the commission stated.
INEC added that the innovation is expected to be available for future elections, including the upcoming Osun State governorship election in August 2026 and the 2027 general election.
