The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has intensified preparations for the Saturday, June 20, 2026, Governorship Election in Ekiti State.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, led National Commissioners on a readiness assessment visit to Ekiti State; he formally presented the Voters Register of 1,059,360 to political parties.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ekiti State, Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said the presence of the INEC delegation in the state reflected the Commission’s commitment to ensuring “adequate preparation and successful conduct” of the governorship election.

Omoseyindemi said the Commission in Ekiti State has made “steady progress in all aspects of electoral preparation.” He added that the Commission was collaborating with security agencies, political parties, traditional institutions, civil society organisations and the media to ensure a “peaceful, credible, inclusive and transparent election.”

The REC listed measures already put in place by the Commission to include assessment and validation of Registration Area Centres, RACs, Super RACs and polling units across the state; intensified engagements with security agencies through Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security meetings; training and retraining of electoral officers and assistant electoral officers; and expanded voter education campaigns across the 16 local government areas.

He further revealed that logistics deployment had been reviewed and strengthened, while inspection and regeneration checks on election technology, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS, were ongoing.

Omoseyindemi disclosed certain ongoing preparations, which include the recruitment and training of ad hoc staff, final testing and deployment of BVAS machines, continued voter education and sensitisation, final coordination meetings with security agencies and transport providers, as well as contingency planning to address operational challenges on election day.

“As we move closer to election day, I wish to appeal to all political parties, candidates and their supporters to continue to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly,” the REC said.

The Supervising National Commissioner, Sam Olumekun, noted “In the last four election cycles, Ekiti State has always been the very first state to announce results of elections and there has been no acrimony whatsoever.”

Olumekun assured stakeholders that INEC remained committed to neutrality, transparency and adherence to all legal provisions. “No eligible voter has been disenfranchised and no ineligible name will be allowed on the voter register,” he declared.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Amupitan, said it was a rare privilege for Ekiti State to host the INEC Chairman and almost all National Commissioners for the publication and presentation of the voters register.

“The Electoral Act requires that 30 days before the election, the register of voters must be published and presented to political parties,” he said.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that out of nine major activities contained in the election timetable released last year, seven had already been successfully completed, while campaigns would officially end on June 18 before the election on June 20.

Amupitan described the voters register as “the foundation upon which free, fair and credible elections are built,” stressing that its accuracy and integrity were critical to ensuring that every eligible voter’s voice was heard.
He revealed that the voter register was compiled after “rigorous data collection, total verification and diligent cleaning exercises.”
According to him, the number of registered voters in Ekiti State increased significantly following the Continuous Voter Registration exercise.

"We had about 900,000 registered voters in Ekiti State, but as a result of the Continuous Voter Registration, the number has increased to about 1,059,360,” he disclosed.

“We would like to have a credible and reliable register,” he said.
“It is the responsibility of INEC to conduct free, credible and transparent elections, but INEC cannot do it alone. It is a shared responsibility,” he stated.

The Chairman encouraged political parties to mobilise voters to participate in the election, assuring residents that their votes would count.