With exactly two days to the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State, security agencies, electoral officials, and civil society organizations have scaled up their operational preparations for the off-cycle election. The Independent National Electoral Commission will on Thursday commence the movement of sensitive electoral materials to the 16 local government areas of the state. Simultaneously, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has deployed 10,000 personnel while the Nigeria Police Force has activated an extensive election security framework to protect the ballot. These heightened preparations coincide with the formal constitution of the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal by the Court of Appeal and the confirmation by the Nigerian Air Force of the successful airlift of sensitive materials to support the election alongside other by-elections slated for the same day.
Voters in Ekiti State are expected to elect a governor from among candidates presented by 13 political parties across the state’s 16 local government areas, 177 wards, and more than 2,000 polling units. The election is widely recognized as a critical political barometer ahead of the 2027 general elections. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, confirmed that the commission would initiate the distribution of sensitive materials, including ballot papers, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines, and voter registers, to local government areas on Thursday. Speaking on the readiness of the commission, Dr Omoseyindemi said, "We (INEC) have done most of the things we need to do," He had previously assured stakeholders of a transparent, credible, and acceptable election where voting would commence promptly, noting that non-sensitive materials had already been distributed.
To ensure the timely dispatch of materials, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed the successful airlift of sensitive materials on behalf of the electoral umpire following a request. The Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, stated that the operation was executed between June 15 and 16 to guarantee secure transportation from Abuja to designated locations. He explained that the airlift supported the Ekiti governorship election as well as senatorial by-elections in Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State, Nasarawa North Senatorial District of Nasarawa State, and Rivers South-East Senatorial District of Rivers State, alongside federal constituency by-elections in Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency of Kano State and Zuru/Shanga Federal Constituency of Kebbi State. Ejodame stated, "Leveraging its strategic airlift capabilities, the NAF transported the sensitive electoral materials from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to designated airports in Enugu, Rivers and Kano States, ensuring that INEC received the materials within the stipulated timeline ahead of the elections." The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, lauded the personnel involved, stating, "The successful airlift underscores the Service’s unwavering commitment to supporting democratic institutions and national development."
On security, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, Abayomi Shogunle, has assumed duty and initiated operational plans approved by the Inspector-General of Police. The Police Public Relations Officer in Ekiti State, Sunday Abutu, disclosed that the measures encompass intelligence gathering, tactical deployments, and inter-agency coordination under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security. Abutu stated that the command has stepped up intelligence mapping to eliminate potential threats such as political violence, thuggery, cultism, and misinformation. Quoting the security protocol, Abutu said, "The protocols are towards ensuring adequate provision of security and robust collaboration with sister security agencies and election stakeholders. These include intelligence mapping to neutralise political violence, anti-thuggery, anti-cult related activities, counter-misinformation campaigns/initiatives, robust planning for secured movement of electoral materials and staff/persons engaged by the Independent National Electoral Commission,"
He added that a centralized operational framework has been created to guide rapid response mechanisms and joint security deployments to secure polling units, collation centers, personnel, observers, journalists, and infrastructure. Abutu stated, "Ekiti State Police Command had put in place a centralised operational framework to coordinate rapid response and joint deployments of security personnel under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to adequately secure all polling units, collation centres, designated facilities for the election, voters, electoral workers, observers/monitors, journalists and critical infrastructures across the state." Shogunle assured residents that officers would operate strictly within the law, urging political actors and citizens to cooperate with security forces. Furthermore, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Anthony Placid, confirmed that deployment arrangements were finalized, stating, "Deployment has been done. From June 17th (Wednesday), men will be on the ground. To ensure that there is a free, fair and credible election. I can’t give you the figure,"
In a parallel deployment, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps mobilized 10,000 personnel drawn from various state commands, including Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Ogun, and Kogi states, alongside operational reinforcements from Zone 11 and Zone 6. In a statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commandant of Corps Babawale Afolabi, the corps stated, "As part of its statutory mandate to ensure a peaceful, credible, and violence-free atmosphere during the upcoming Ekiti State Governorship Election, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps has ordered the massive deployment of 10,000 officers and men across the state. To guarantee total security coverage, personnel have been drawn from various state commands, including Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Ogun, and Kogi, alongside specialized operational reinforcements from Zone 11 and Zone 6." Afolabi added that elite tactical squads had been deployed, stating, "The Commandant General of the NSCDC has also directed the immediate deployment of the Corps’ elite tactical units to neutralise any potential security threats. These highly trained squads include: The CG’s Special Intelligence Squad, the Special Weapons and Tactics unit, the Specialized Female Squad, the Mining Marshals, the Special Force and Crack Squad, and the K9 Unit (highly trained specialized dogs for detection and crowd control)," The operations will be coordinated by the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Operations, Ayuba Phillips. Quoting the leadership, Afolabi added, "Our mission in Ekiti State is definitive: to protect the integrity of the democratic process and guarantee the safety of every voter, election official, and citizen. We will tolerate no form of electoral violence, thuggery, or disruption. Our specialised squads and tactical forces are fully briefed and strategically positioned to maintain absolute law and order."
To ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities, a civil society organization, TAF Africa, announced plans to deploy 150 observers across the 16 local government areas and 25 sign language interpreters to designated polling units. Speaking in Ado Ekiti, TAF Africa Programmes Manager, Dr Andrew Adaji, noted that interpreters would be placed in units with deaf voters, stating, "We are deploying sign language interpreters, about 25 of them. That is the best we can do. We will put them in units where we have persons with hearing impediments or the deaf," He explained that field observers would utilize a dedicated mobile application to report live field conditions, adding, "We are deploying 150 observers. They would be spread across the 16 local government areas of Ekiti State. They will specifically observe the polling units where there are PWDs. We have a unique app, the TAF Africa election app, that was designed by us with support from EU-SDGN. Now, the observers will use that app on the field. The app has features that will enable the observers to report what is happening on the field. And once they report, we at the election hub center will get real-time data of what is happening on the field." Adaji emphasized that the goal is to evaluate field compliance with disability-inclusive guidelines, stating, "What we want to achieve is inclusivity. Over time, PWDs have been excluded in so many things. This time around, we look at the accessibility of the polling unit. We are also looking at if what is in the election guideline as relates to PWDs has been implemented on the field,"
On the legal front, the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, has constituted the Ekiti State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal. The Secretary to the Tribunal, Zubairu Nuhu, announced the development in a statement, noting, "This is to notify the general public that pursuant to the powers conferred on the President, Court of Appeal by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2026, Hon. Justice Monica Dongben-Mensem, has constituted the Governorship Election Tribunal for Ekiti State," The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, approved the use of the National Industrial Court premises in Ado Ekiti for the tribunal. More than one million registered voters are expected to participate in the election, with political analysts highlighting a primary three-way race between the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji of the All Gibbons Congress, Dr Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress.
Meanwhile, Governor Biodun Oyebanji delivered a statewide broadcast reviewing his stewardship over the past three and a half years, requesting a renewal of his mandate under the platform of the All Progressives Congress. Oyebanji stated, "As we approach the polls, I want to humbly request that you renew the Shared Prosperity Mandate you gave us four years ago by another four years. While we are proud of the landmark achievements we have recorded in the last four years, I am very confident that with another four years of your mandate, we will be able to take the socioeconomic plans of our administration to a greater heights. Ekiti kete, there is no doubt that we have remained faithful to our social contract with you as expressed in our 2022 manifesto. We are grateful to you for all the accolades and the rains of commendations we have received for our achievements." He expressed readiness to expand developmental frontiers, adding, "We are more than encouraged by the overwhelming goodwill and support that we have continued to receive across the state. And we are more committed to serving you even better given another mandate. Given the solid foundation of economic prosperity we have laid already, a new mandate will witness a higher velocity of development and fast delivery of service. With another four years of Shared Prosperity mandate, we will be able to complete all our ongoing projects, entrench policy initiatives, pursue new vision and open new frontiers of development in accordance with our 30 years Development Plan." The governor urged all actors to remain professional, stating, "So far, this current political electioneering has been the most peaceful in the history of our state, and we must do everything to ensure that the election and post-election activities remain peaceful."
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