EU-SDGN Observers: Ekiti Governorship Poll Peaceful, Voter Turnout Strong

By Joseph Sunday

Ado-Ekiti — The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) Election Observation Hub has described Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election largely peaceful and orderly, with strong voter participation recorded across polling units.

In a preliminary statement released at noon, the hub reported deploying 598 observers across all 16 local government areas. The coalition includes The Kukah Centre, TAF Africa, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre, and Centre for Media and Society.

The observers monitored electoral integrity, security, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, misinformation, media safety, and result verification.

Early start, functional BVAS:

From 246 of 250 sampled polling units, 75% had election officials and materials on ground by 7:30 a.m. Accreditation and voting began by 8:30 a.m. in 69% of locations observed. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned in 96% of polling units monitored.

Some ballot discrepancies noted:

While the electoral commission listed 14 candidates, observers flagged inconsistencies involving ballot papers and result sheets in some areas.

Women, PWDs turn out in numbers:

The Nigeria Women Trust Fund’s Gender and Election Watch project reported active participation by women and persons with disabilities. Women make up about 51% of registered voters in Ekiti and accounted for 58% of polling officials observed. Many were also visible in queues as voters and party agents.

For PWDs, 89.9% of polling units observed were physically accessible, 80.6% implemented priority voting, and 71.4% provided assistive devices. No major incidents of harassment were recorded.

Still, minor hitches occurred. In PU 6, Ward 11, Ifaki, Ido/Osi LGA, a nursing mother was initially denied priority voting before it was resolved. In parts of Irepodun/Ifelodun and Ikere LGAs, BVAS machines had trouble capturing biometrics of some elderly voters.

Security presence kept peace:

Between 5 and 10 security personnel were deployed to each of the state’s 2,442 polling units. Observers said voting proceeded peacefully in most locations with no major disruption or violence as of noon.

The EU-SDGN hub however stressed that this is a preliminary assessment based on reports up to 12 p.m. A comprehensive post-election report will follow after voting, collation, and the official announcement of results.