The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Election Observation Hub has commended the conduct of the Ekiti State governorship election, describing the exercise as largely peaceful, orderly and inclusive despite concerns over vote-buying, voter intimidation and isolated incidents of violence.
Presenting a joint situational statement in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, the election observers said findings from 598 personnel deployed across the state’s 16 local government areas showed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recorded notable successes in logistics, early deployment of personnel and the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
According to the observation hub, election officials and materials arrived early in most locations, with personnel present in about 75 per cent of sampled polling units by 7:30 a.m.
Accreditation and voting reportedly commenced by 8:30 a.m. in 69 per cent of the polling units observed.
The observers also praised the functionality of BVAS during the election, reporting a 96 per cent success rate across monitored polling units.
They noted that both sensitive and non-sensitive election materials were generally complete and adequate, contributing to the smooth conduct of voting in most areas.
However, the mission identified inconsistencies in election documentation.
While INEC’s final list contained 14 governorship candidates, observers noted that ballot papers featured 19 political parties, while result sheets provided spaces for only 15 parties, raising concerns about discrepancies in election materials.
On inclusiveness, the EU-backed mission commended the participation of women, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and other vulnerable groups.
The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), a member of the observation coalition, reported that women, who make up approximately 51 per cent of registered voters in Ekiti State, played active roles as voters, polling officials and party agents.
The report indicated that women accounted for 58 per cent of polling unit officials observed, while their turnout at voting centres was described as significant across the state.
Observers also reported strong participation by persons with disabilities, noting that nearly 90 per cent of polling units monitored were physically accessible to PWDs.
Priority voting arrangements were reportedly available in more than 80 per cent of the polling units observed, and no widespread incidents of discrimination or harassment were recorded.
Despite the generally positive assessment, the observers documented a number of operational challenges.
These included the initial denial of priority voting to a nursing mother in Ise/Orun Local Government Area and difficulties experienced by some elderly voters during biometric accreditation in Ikere Local Government Area.
On security, the mission described the overall environment as calm, citing the deployment of between five and 10 security personnel to each of the state’s 2,442 polling units.
It noted that voting proceeded without major disruptions or widespread violence in most parts of the state.
Nonetheless, the observers recorded 24 incidents of violence across 10 local government areas, including Ado-Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Emure, Ido-Osi, Ilejemeje, Ijero, Ise/Orun, Gboyin, Ikole and Oye.
The observation hub expressed particular concern about what it described as organised voter inducement and vote-buying activities.
It disclosed that 24 separate incidents of vote-buying and voter intimidation were documented across nine local government areas, with some cases allegedly involving attempts to compromise ballot secrecy and influence voters’ choices.
The observers further reported that journalists generally enjoyed unrestricted access to polling units and acknowledged efforts by key stakeholders to combat misinformation and disinformation during the election.
However, the report noted that media practitioners faced movement restrictions from security operatives in some areas, including Ikere, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti South-West, Ekiti West and Ikole local government areas.
Some party agents were also accused of obstructing journalists from carrying out their duties.
The EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub urged INEC to swiftly replace malfunctioning BVAS machines, extend voting hours where technical issues affected the process and ensure strict compliance with guidelines governing result transmission and publication.
It also called on security agencies to intensify efforts to curb vote-buying, remain impartial throughout the electoral process and provide adequate security during collation.
Political parties and candidates were urged to refrain from voter inducement, discourage violence among supporters and respect the outcome of the election, while voters were advised to reject financial inducements and protect the secrecy of their ballots.
The observation mission stressed that its findings remain preliminary and that it would continue monitoring the collation and declaration of results before releasing a comprehensive post-election report.
