The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure strict compliance with provisions requiring the electronic transmission of election results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State….
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure strict compliance with provisions requiring the electronic transmission of election results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV) ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.
According to The Nation, the group also urged the timely deployment of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials to all polling units across the 16 Local Government Areas of the state to ensure a smooth and credible electoral process.
Speaking at a press conference in Ado-Ekiti on Friday, Co-convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Celestine Odo, stressed the importance of adherence to electoral laws and guidelines governing off-cycle elections.
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“It is important for electoral stakeholders to comply strictly with the Electoral Act 2026, the guidelines and regulations issued by INEC for the off-cycle elections, particularly the procedures for electronic transmission and verification of polling unit results through the BVAS and the IRev,” he said.
Odo also announced that the Situation Room would deploy a broad election observation mission across all local government areas in Ekiti State to monitor the conduct of the poll.
“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,” he disclosed.
He explained that the mission would assess the election based on constitutional provisions, the Electoral Act 2026, INEC guidelines and international standards for credible elections.
“The observation mission will 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 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,” Odo added.
Also speaking, Senior Programme Officer of the Cleen Foundation, Nnamdi Odo, said findings from their pre-election assessment indicated strong public expectation for a peaceful election in the state.
He noted that about 88 per cent of residents believe the governorship election will be peaceful, although several areas have been identified as potential flashpoints.
According to him, Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area is considered the highest-risk zone due to 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,” he said.
He further identified Ikere-Ekiti and Irepodun/Ifelodun LGAs as secondary flashpoints, citing concerns over misinformation and rising political tensions.
The civil society groups urged stakeholders, security agencies and electoral officials to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process across the state.
