Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State20 June 2026

Picture from our observer of an elderly voter waiting to get accredited at Efon.

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) continues to observe the conduct of the Ekiti State Governorship Election through its network of deployed journalist observers, Election Analysis Centre, and Election Observatory.

As voting draws to a close and preparation for collation commences in many locations, this statement presents a mid-day assessment of the election based on reports received from observers deployed across the 16 Local Government Areas (LGA) of Ekiti State.

Accreditation and Voting

Reports received from across the state indicate that accreditation and voting generally commenced on time and proceeded peacefully and in an orderly manner in most polling units observed. At several polling units in Ado, Ilejemeje, Ikere, Moba, Ekiti East, and Oye LGAs, observers reported that election officials were present and carrying out their duties effectively, while many voters were able to cast their ballots without significant disruptions. Additionally, observers report that some prospective voters experienced difficulty locating their names on the voters' register at the polling unit despite being registered voters. While this did not significantly disrupt voting, it remains a concern requiring further review.

BVAS Functionality

The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned effectively in most polling units observed, facilitating voter accreditation and verification. Nevertheless, isolated technical concerns were reported. Observers at Registration Area 07, Mary Mount Primary School, Ado LGA, said poll officials reported instances in which accredited figures appeared to decrease on two occasions. The matter was reportedly escalated to the Registration Area Tech Support (RATech), and officials were advised to continue the process. No widespread BVAS failures or major technological disruptions were reported by observers as of this statement.

Voter Turnout

Observer reports suggest generally low to moderate voter turnout across the state. In many polling units visited in the afternoon, queues had either reduced significantly or disappeared. Election officials in several locations attributed this to the fact that most voters who intended to vote had already done so.

Notable observations include:

• Town Hall Oke Ona, Odo Ayedun I Registration Area recorded a calm voting environment with no reported disruptions.
• At Polling Unit 02, Ward 08, Ado LGA, 86 out of 472 registered voters had voted as of 12:46 p.m.
• At LA Primary School, Ikere LGA, 190 out of 732 registered voters had voted by 1:30 p.m.
• At Mary Mount Primary School, RA 07, Ado LGA, 172 out of 784 voters had voted as of 1:28 p.m.
• At Polling Unit 09, Ward 07, Ado LGA, 132 out of 689 registered voters had voted by 1:41 p.m.
• At Ile Poro, Iye II Ward, Ilejemeje LGA, 58 out of 161 registered voters had voted by 1:35 p.m.
• At Omuo Ekiti, Ekiti East LGA, 15 of 17 accredited voters had successfully cast their ballots.

Observers also noted the participation of women, youth, elderly persons, and persons with disabilities in the voting process.

Security and Electoral Environment

The security situation remained largely peaceful across the state throughout the period under review. Observers consistently reported the presence of police officers and other security personnel at polling units visited. Security personnel were generally professional in their conduct and maintained order without interfering with the voting process. No major incidents of violence, voter intimidation, or disruption were reported in the locations observed.

Vote Buying and Other Electoral Concerns

While voting generally proceeded peacefully, CJID observers received reports from some locations of political party agents attempting to influence voters around polling units. Including providing tags for voters to replace for money after voting.

Observers also reported isolated instances of party agents following voters towards voting cubicles and attempting to interfere with the secrecy of the ballot. In addition, political party posters, campaign materials, and supporters wearing party-branded clothing were observed around some polling units despite regulations prohibiting campaign activities within polling environments.

Reports of suspected voter inducement and vote-buying activities were also received from some locations and are being further documented by observers. CJID condemns all forms of electoral malpractice and calls on security agencies and election officials to promptly investigate and address such incidents.

Inclusion and Accessibility

Observers reported that women, young people, elderly voters, and persons with disabilities were generally able to participate in the voting process without significant hindrance. While some polling units appeared to provide priority access and assistance to vulnerable groups, CJID continues to monitor accessibility concerns and will provide a more comprehensive assessment in its post-election report.

A Person with a disability voting at Irepodun/Ifelodun.

Factchecking and Disinformation Analysis

In the early hours of the Ekiti State election, at exactly 8:25 AM, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) posted an official "Election Emergency Line" on X for citizens to communicate with security personnel. However, four hours into the Ekiti elections, the official number shared as the primary reporting channel for election matters, "080062335577," did not go through.

Screenshot from the X page of the Nigeria Police Force taken by CJID information analysts

We tried calling this number at about 10:50 AM, 11:24 AM, and 12:11 PM, and each time the automated system responded, "This number does not exist."

With further scrutiny of the digit string, we observed that the shared number was 12 digits, above the usual 11-digit standard for Nigerian mobile lines. This structure suggests the police attempted to route a standard line through an 0800 toll-free system, a telecom configuration designed to let citizens call for help free of charge without using their personal airtime. However, toll-free lines in Nigeria often suffer from severe inter-network routing glitches across different carriers. Realising this, we decided to remove the second zero to test the underlying standard mobile number: 08062335577.

We tried this corrected 11-digit number at about 12:40 PM, and it went through instantly. We had reached the police command, and a man at the other end of the line spoke. We attempted to alert him that the toll-free version had been incorrectly formatted or was failing online, but the respondent was more interested in simply confirming we had reached the command and told us that we could just "remove one zero" to call them.

While that manual fix works for an individual, it does nothing for the thousands of voters relying on the official broadcast or those who will be in dire need of utilising the free toll channel. We went further to reply to the tweet on X to notify the NPF that the number was failing, but hours have passed with no response or corrective post. Instead, the same non-functional number was posted repeatedly by the official NPF here. This undercuts the police's commendable efforts at fighting electoral offences that undermine democracy, such as vote buying, vote selling, ballot box snatching, intimidation, and violence.

So far, the fact-checking team has successfully verified one claim. Most claims we have encountered are either vague (lacking specific details, such as location, to aid tracking and verification) or non-verifiable. Claims so far have been on the non-functionality of BVAS and the alleged distribution of uncollected PVCs to APC members, both of which we cannot independently verify without a specific location.

Mid-Day Assessment

Based on reports received from across Ekiti State, CJID notes that the election has thus far been conducted in a generally peaceful and orderly atmosphere. Election officials have largely discharged their responsibilities effectively, security personnel have maintained a secure environment, and the BVAS has functioned satisfactorily in most locations observed. However, CJID notes with concern that in Irepodun/Ifelodun LGA, RA 01, PU013, the APO II issued a ballot paper to a voter without a Permanent Voter Card (PVC), and our observers were harassed while attempting to document this action.

A polling unit in Ado-Ekiti.

However, concerns relating to voter register verification challenges, isolated BVAS-related discrepancies, the presence of campaign materials around polling units, attempts to compromise ballot secrecy, and allegations of voter inducement remain areas requiring immediate attention from relevant stakeholders. CJID will continue to monitor the process as voting wraps up and sorting, counting, and collation begin, providing further updates as events unfold.

Signed

Akintunde BabatundeExecutive Director

Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID)