With two days to the Ekiti State governorship election, electoral officials, security agencies and civil society organisations have intensified preparations to ensure a peaceful and credible exercise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to begin the movement of sensitive election materials to the 16 local government areas of the state, including ballot papers, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and voter registers ahead of Saturday’s poll.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said the commission had concluded most of the necessary arrangements and was ready for the election.
He added that non-sensitive materials had already been distributed across the state.
The Nigerian Air Force also confirmed that it successfully airlifted sensitive electoral materials on behalf of INEC as part of preparations for the Ekiti governorship election and other by-elections scheduled for the same day.
Air Force spokesperson, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the operation, carried out between June 15 and 16, involved the transportation of election materials from Abuja to designated locations using strategic airlift assets.
Security agencies have rolled out extensive measures to prevent violence and maintain order before, during and after the election.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps announced the deployment of 10,000 officers and men across Ekiti State, drawn from several commands including Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Ogun and Kogi states.
The corps said specialised units, including intelligence teams, tactical squads, female officers, mining marshals, special forces and K9 units, had also been deployed to address potential security threats.
The Nigeria Police Force said it had activated an election security framework involving intelligence gathering, strategic deployment and coordination with other agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.
Police authorities said the measures were designed to protect voters, election officials, journalists, observers and critical infrastructure while tackling threats such as political violence, thuggery, cult activities and misinformation.
Ahead of possible post-election disputes, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has constituted the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The tribunal, which will sit at the National Industrial Court premises in Ado-Ekiti, is expected to handle petitions arising from the outcome of Saturday’s election.
Meanwhile, civil society organisation TAF Africa said it would deploy 150 election observers across the state and provide 25 sign language interpreters to support voters with hearing impairments.
The organisation said its observers would use a dedicated election monitoring application to provide real-time updates from polling units, particularly those with large numbers of persons with disabilities.
More than one million registered voters are expected to participate in the election, where candidates from 13 political parties will compete across 16 local government areas, 177 wards and over 2,000 polling units.
The election is being closely watched as a major political test ahead of the 2027 general election, with stakeholders calling for a peaceful, transparent and credible process.
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