Over 1 million voters register to participate in Ekiti gov’ship race – INEC

By Lateef Ibrahim

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared its readiness for the June 20, 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State, revealing that more than one million eligible voters are registered to participate in the exercise.
INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Thursday during a stakeholder engagement with the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers in Ado-Ekiti as part of the Commission’s final preparations for the poll.
According to the INEC chairman, a total of 1,059,360 voters have been registered for the election, including 66,664 new voters added through the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
He also announced that the Commission’s Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) detected and removed 2,103 cases of double registration, describing the exercise as part of efforts to maintain the integrity of the voters’ register.
Professor Amupitan explained that the election would be conducted across all 16 local government areas of the state, covering 117 registration areas and 2,445 polling units.
To ensure transparency and credibility, he said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed in every polling unit as the sole means of accrediting voters.
The INEC chairman reiterated the Commission’s policy of “No PVC, No Accreditation, No Voting,” urging eligible voters to ensure they possess their Permanent Voter Cards before election day.
He further revealed that the Commission was undertaking its second readiness assessment visit to Ekiti State, focusing on logistics, technology deployment and security arrangements ahead of the election.
Amupitan expressed confidence in the level of preparation already achieved and assured stakeholders that INEC remained committed to conducting a free, fair and credible election.
While outlining the Commission’s readiness, he also emphasized the importance of maintaining peace throughout the electoral process.
The chairman noted that credible elections require not only effective administration by electoral officials but also the cooperation of community leaders and citizens.
He therefore appealed to traditional rulers across the state to use their influence to promote peaceful conduct before, during and after the election.
Responding on behalf of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, Joseph Adebayo Adewole II assured the Commission of the support of traditional institutions and offered prayers for a peaceful, successful and credible governorship election in the state.