No fewer than 1,059,660 registered voters will participate in the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State.

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made this known in Ado Ekiti during the presentation and publication of voter register to political parties ahead of the off-cycle governorship poll.

At another event in the state capital, Amupitan, harped on the need for security agents to clamp down on vote buyers and traders. He also warned the commission’s officials against manipulation of election results.

Amupitan explained that the 1,059,660 registered voters represent an increase of about 66,000 from the 2023 register, which had about 900,000 voters.

He explained that the increase followed the Continuous Voter Registration conducted by the commission before the suspension of the exercise in line with the Electoral Act.

According to him, over 68,000 fresh registrations were initially recorded during the exercise, but more than 2,000 entries were removed after the commission discovered double registration during its data verification and cleaning process.

The INEC explained that the publication and presentation of the register marked a critical milestone in preparations for the election. He stressed that the credibility of the electoral process depended largely on the integrity of the voter register.

His words: “The voters register is the foundation upon which free, fair and credible elections are built. Its accuracy, completeness and integrity are paramount to ensuring that every eligible voter’s voice is heard and that the will of the people is accurately reflected.

“For the 2023 election, 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 1,059,660, representing an addition of about 66,000 new voters.”

Amupitan, who assured political parties and residents of the state that INEC would conduct a credible, transparent and peaceful election, insisted that votes would count.

The INEC boss told the party leaders that vote buying remains a criminal offence capable of undermining the integrity of elections.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said the commission had intensified preparations for the election through engagements with security agencies, political parties, traditional institutions and civil society organisations.

He assured residents that arrangements for logistics, transportation and deployment of election technology, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, were ongoing to guarantee a smooth electoral process.

Amupitan also said that the signing of a peace accord by the candidates and parties will take place today.

During his meeting with INEC officials in the state, Amupitan said that security agents must not spare anyone found to be engaged in vote buying or trading.

The INEC boss said: “I want to reiterate that one of the major challenges and constraints of our electoral process is the issue of vote buying or vote trading.

‘’This is a criminal offence under the electoral acts, and it is the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies, especially the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission), the ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission and the police, to ensure that those who are involved in it are arrested and promptly prosecuted.

“It is the responsibility of INEC to prosecute. Therefore, we urge all political parties to please refrain from this issue of vote trading, because it is a big minus for the electoral process in Nigeria.”

Amupitan said that INEC officials must understand that manipulation of election results and other illegal acts undermine the credibility of the electoral process.

He drew their attention to laws guiding their roles, saying anyone found to have breached any of them would be sanctioned.

Amupitan, who said the commission expects 105 per cent performance from them, however, assured that the commission would reward those who perform creditably during the poll.

He told the officials that the governorship election in the state would serve as a litmus test for next year’s general poll. (The Nation)