• IGP, Abubakar call for commitment to peace
• Group decries funding delay, weak preparation

No fewer than 13 political parties contesting for the June 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State, yesterday, signed a peace agreement ahead of the election with a commitment to ensuring lasting peace before, during and after the elections.

Among those who signed the peace accord is the current governor of the state and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Oyebanji, who pledged the commitment of the people of the state to lasting peace.

The agreement, facilitated by the National Peace Committee (NPC), in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was also attended by security agencies and political stakeholders.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, warned political parties against violence and electoral misconduct, insisting that the peace accord must go beyond ceremonial signing to practical adherence.

He said that Ekiti State had long been known for political awareness and relative calm during elections, adding that stakeholders must ensure that the reputation is maintained in the forthcoming polls.

Amupitan stressed that following the successful containment of pre-election anxieties during the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election in November 2025, the Commission is determined to replicate this vital mechanism ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2026.

The INEC boss said that the Commission had intensified preparations for the election across the state’s 16 local councils, 177 registration areas and 2,445 polling units, with over one million registered voters expected to participate.

He added that the Commission had already begun logistics deployment and stakeholders’ engagement, including security agencies and transport providers, to ensure smooth conduct of the exercise.

Also speaking, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, warned against violence, voter intimidation and other electoral offences, saying that security agencies were fully prepared to ensure a safe environment for the election.

Chairman of the National Peace Committee and former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, represented by Martin Agwai, said the peace accord was a collective commitment to credible and violence-free elections.

He urged all stakeholders to prioritise peace over political ambition, noting that elections should not be won at the expense of lives or national stability.

“Peace is a shared responsibility and democracy can only thrive in a peaceful atmosphere,” he said.

Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society organisations, under the Election Observation Hub, has raised concerns over the preparedness of INEC ahead of the Ekiti State governorship election, saying that the state office of the Commission is yet to receive election funding weeks before the polls.

The group made its position known during a media briefing in Abuja yesterday under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase II programme.

The coalition, therefore, urged INEC to ensure the immediate release and judicious utilisation of election funds to enable the completion of pending pre-election activities, including the rehabilitation of state and local council offices, registration area centres, and collation centres.

It also called on the electoral body to configure and conduct stress tests on the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to ensure smooth voter accreditation, transparent collation processes, and credible electronic transmission of results in compliance with the Electoral Act 2026, including the activation of the INEC Security and Alert Notification System (ISANS) to enable rapid response during the election.