Issued in Ado-Ekiti at 9:30am: Friday, 19th June 2026
INTRODUCTION
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room), a coalition of over 70 civil society organisations working to promote credible, transparent, and democratic elections in Nigeria, has commenced its observation of the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election scheduled to hold on Saturday, 20th June 2026.
As part of its commitment to supporting electoral integrity and strengthening democratic governance, Situation Room will deploy a comprehensive election observation mission across the 16 Local Government Areas of the State. The observation mission seeks to independently assess the conduct of the election against the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the 2026 Electoral Act, INEC Guidelines and Regulations as well as international standards for democratic elections.
Situation Room will also assess the elections using its Credibility Threshold for the 2027 general elections whose main theme is focused on restoring confidence in the electoral process and hoping that this will be achieved by increased integrity of elections, improved delivery of elections, and greater engagement and involvement of citizens in the electoral process.
OBSERVATION METHODOLOGY
Situation Room’s observation of the 2026 Ekiti Governorship Election will combine the deployment of accredited election observers to polling units and the use of citizen observers reporting through the Situation Room Election Accountability Tracker (SEAT) mobile and web application. In addition, the Situation Room will receive reports from its partner networks deploying observers – Action Aid Nigeria, CLEEN Foundation, Centre LSD and Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI).
Timely information and reports will be received, analysed, verified and processed throughout Election Day on critical aspects of the electoral process, including:
- Opening of polls and deployment of election officials;
- Availability and functionality of election materials and technology;
- Voter accreditation and voting procedures;
- Security arrangements at polling units and collation centres;
- Inclusion of women, youth and persons with disabilities;
- Compliance with electoral laws and regulations;
- Incidents of vote buying, intimidation, violence or other electoral malpractices;
- Compliance with electoral laws and regulations;
PRE-ELECTION POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT
Our preliminary impression of the election shows that the situation in the State is calm and peaceful on the eve of the election and citizens are carrying on regular life. Distribution of sensitive materials to Local Government Areas by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been hitch-free. As the election day approaches, we will continue to monitor developments in the State.
ORGANISATION BY INEC
Situation Room will observe the organisation of the election by INEC, including deployment of personnel and materials and adherence to established procedures. We note concerns regarding the timing of the release of the guidelines and regulations governing the election. While there is no legal timeline within which the Election Guidelines and Regulations must be released, Situation Room notes that election guidelines and regulations are an important component of election preparation and should be released early enough to allow voters, political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders adequate time to understand the process.
COMPLIANCE WITH THE 2026 ELECTORAL ACT
Following the passage and assent of the 2026 Electoral Act, the 2026 Ekiti Governorship Election presents an early test of how key reforms introduced by the new law will be implemented and whether electoral stakeholders will comply with the letter and spirit of the law. In line with this, Situation Room will be assessing the level of compliance with the Electoral Act 2026 and the guidelines and regulations issued by INEC for this off-cycle elections, particularly the procedures for electronic transmission and verification of polling unit results through the BVAS and the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IRev).
EQUAL ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION
Situation Room will assess the extent to which the electoral environment guarantees equal access and participation. Of particular concern in this election is the low level of competition among political parties. Situation Room reiterates that elections must remain open to all eligible contestants regardless of political affiliation. With regard to Ekiti residents, particular attention will be paid to the participation of citizens in rural and hard-to-reach communities, as well as the extent to which political parties are able to freely campaign and engage voters within the framework of the law.
SECURITY
Situation Room will observe the security environment and its impact on voter participation. Citizens should be able to exercise their democratic rights without fear, intimidation, violence or harassment. As part of its pre-election assessment, CLEEN Foundation, one of Situation Room partners, identified Ado-Ekiti LGA as the highest-risk location because of the concentration of political actors and election-related activities. There are also concerns about political tensions and indications of voter apathy in Ikole LGA. In Moba LGA, voter intimidation was identified as a key concern, while insecurity and fears of spillover of violence from neighbouring Kogi State were highlighted as significant risks in Ilejemeje LGA. In addition, two locations (Ikere-Ekiti and Irepodun/Ifelodun) were identified as secondary flashpoints due to concerns about misinformation and political tensions. In response to this, security agencies must remain professional, impartial and fully committed to protecting voters, election officials and electoral materials throughout the electoral process.
VOTE TRADING
Historically, off-cycle elections in Ekiti State have raised concerns of voter inducement known as “stomach infrastructure” and the influence of money in the electoral process. Similar concerns have been raised in other off-cycle elections across the country, where vote trading and financial inducement have increasingly undermined citizens’ confidence in elections and weakened the principle that public office should be determined by the free choice of voters.
EXPECTATIONS FROM STAKEHOLDERS
Situation Room calls on all stakeholders to contribute to a peaceful, credible and transparent electoral process. We urge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the timely deployment of personnel and materials, maintain transparency throughout the electoral process, and promptly address any operational challenges that may arise.
The Security and Law Enforcement Agencies, particularly the Police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), must take proactive measures to prevent, detect and prosecute electoral offenders before, during and after the election. The recent set-up of an EFCC zonal office in Ekiti State presents an opportunity for effective action against electoral corruption. Citizens must be assured that violations of the law will attract consequences. Security agencies must remain professional, impartial and accountable in the discharge of their duties, ensuring that voters can freely exercise their constitutional rights without intimidation or harassment.
Political parties, candidates and their supporters should conduct themselves peacefully, respect the rule of law, and refrain from actions capable of undermining public confidence in the election.
The Media should provide accurate, fair and balanced coverage of the election, avoid the dissemination of unverified information, and promote transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.
The Situation Room enjoins the citizens of Ekiti State to participate peacefully in the election and remain vigilant in safeguarding the integrity of the democratic process by utilizing the SEAT App to report incidents and developments from their polling units.
SITUATION ROOM’S COMMITMENT
Situation Room will closely observe developments before, during and after Election Day and issue periodic updates using all our social media channels (@Situationroomng across all platforms) based on verified information received from its observers and citizen reporting network through the SEAT App. Following the conclusion of voting and collation, Situation Room will release the Election Day Statement outlining its preliminary findings and recommendations.
SIGNED:
Celestine Odo
Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
Mma Odi
Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
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The Situation Room is made up of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria and includes such groups as Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Enough is Enough Nigeria, LAPDO, Community Life Project/Reclaim Naija, Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI), RULAAC, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Upline Centre for Development, Stakeholder Democracy Network, Human Rights Monitor, CISLAC, and several other CSOs numbering more than seventy.