Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sustain transparency, professionalism and adherence to electoral guidelines in the conduct of Saturday’s Ekiti Governorship Election.
The call was made by Dr Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, Yiaga Africa, during a press conference held on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti under the organisation’s Watching the Vote (WTV) election observation initiative.
Abdullahi said the election presents another opportunity to deepen Nigeria’s democratic process and urged all stakeholders to play their respective roles in ensuring a peaceful, credible and inclusive exercise.
She called on INEC to ensure the effective deployment and functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), timely opening of polling units and strict compliance with procedures for voting, counting and result management.
The Yiaga Africa mission chair also urged security agencies to maintain neutrality, professionalism and operational efficiency before, during and after the election, stressing the need to guarantee the safety of voters, election officials, observers and electoral materials.
According to her, security agencies and anti-corruption institutions should work closely to identify, arrest and prosecute perpetrators of vote buying, voter intimidation and other forms of electoral offences that could undermine the integrity of the poll.
Abdullahi further appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, respect the electoral process and refrain from actions capable of inciting violence or disrupting the election.
She reiterated Yiaga Africa’s commitment to deploying observers across the state to independently monitor the election and provide citizens with timely and credible information on the conduct of the governorship poll. (NAN)
