By Samuel Sunday
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Josiah Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has assured Ekiti voters that every vote cast in the June 20 governorship election will count, saying the commission has no preferred candidate.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on Thursday at Hassant Event Centre, Basiri, Ado-Ekiti, Amupitan said the election belongs to the people of Ekiti and must reflect their genuine choice. He pledged that INEC would remain neutral and ensure the will of the electorate prevails.
The INEC chairman disclosed that 15 political parties, including the Social Democratic Party, SDP, will participate in the election. He said the state’s registered voter population has increased to over 1.059 million, up from about 967,000 in previous elections. He added that only about 80 percent of eligible voters had collected their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, prompting the commission to extend PVC collection until Sunday.
Amupitan said voting would commence at 8:30 a.m. across 2,445 polling units in the state. He assured stakeholders that sensitive and non-sensitive materials were ready and that election officials were undergoing final training. He said all polling units would remain open for voting, counting, and result declaration.
He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, would be fully deployed to enhance transparency. Results from polling units, he added, would be uploaded directly to the commission’s portal, and no result with inconsistencies would be accepted.
The INEC chairman commended political parties and candidates for signing the Peace Accord, describing it as a major step toward a violence-free election. He said INEC would collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC, to monitor and curb vote-buying and other electoral offences.
Amupitan said 91 media organisations and 697 journalists had been accredited to cover the election. He urged the media to provide accurate, balanced, and credible reports.
On security, he said INEC had received assurances from the police, military, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, and Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC. He appealed to security agencies to remain professional and impartial while protecting voters, officials, and materials.
Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said preparations had reached an advanced stage and assured prompt deployment of materials. He urged voters to turn out peacefully.
Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, in Ekiti, Mr. Adeniji Akinropo, urged political actors to embrace peace. Ekiti Commissioner of Police, Mr. Michael Falade, said security agencies had put adequate measures in place and warned against hate speech, vote-buying, violence, and voter intimidation.
