The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, stated on Thursday that the upcoming June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State will serve as a benchmark for transparency in the 2027 general elections. He made this declaration during the Ekiti State Governorship Election Stakeholders Forum, organized by the commission and held in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.
INEC's Commitment to Impartiality
Mr. Amupitan emphasized that the commission has no preferred aspirant or political party in the election. He affirmed that INEC is solely aligned with the law and the sovereign will of the Nigerian people. The INEC boss reiterated that the commission's duty is to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.
Logistics and Deployment Plans
The INEC chairman revealed that the logistics plan has been perfected. Arrangements with the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) are being finalized to ensure synchronized movement of personnel and materials. He stated, "Our goal is the simultaneous activation of all 2,445 Polling Units at exactly 8:30 a.m. on Election Day. We have audited our previous field cycles, corrected past deployment deficits, and initialized early-morning distribution initiatives. The materials are ready, the ad-hoc staff are trained, and our field staff are moving according to schedule."
Registered Voters Breakdown
Mr. Amupitan provided a breakdown of registered voters for the election. He said the total registered voters is 1,059,360, with 66,664 new registrants added to the 2023 Registry Baseline of 987,647. He added, "Statutory Clean-Up: 2,103 double registrations completely invalidated via the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). This clean, legally verified electorate, 1,059,360 of them, will exercise their franchise across 16 Local Government Areas, spanning 117 Registration Areas (Wards), and precisely 2,445 Polling Units."
Technological Safeguards
To secure the sanctity of the ballot, the commission is deploying its full suite of technological safeguards. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be the sole instrument for voter authentication and accreditation. Mr. Amupitan emphasized, "Let me re-emphasize that our immutable legal standard is: No PVC, No Accreditation, and No Voting. There will be no bypasses or exceptions. Furthermore, all polling-level results will be uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to guarantee public transparency."
Measures Against Vote Buying
On vote buying, Mr. Amupitan stated, "Furthermore, we are partnering closely with the EFCC and the ICPC. Deployed personnel are under strict instructions to keep the immediate perimeter of our 2,445 polling units completely insulated from the corrosive influence of vote-buying and financial inducement. We shall defend the ballot box from physical violence and fiscal contamination alike."
Security Arrangements
Regarding identified flashpoints and areas prone to insecurity, he disclosed that the commission, working in absolute cohesion with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), has mapped every localized vulnerability. This includes specific risks related to political thuggery, cultism, and attempted ballot disruption in known areas of the state. He added that security forces have been handed precise operational orders to deal decisively with any actor, regardless of status, who seeks to subvert the peace or test the collective resolve.
Mr. Amupitan assured that the commission would investigate complaints of intimidation and harassment made by opposition parties, as well as the inducement of voters to collect PVCs.
