Nine days before the Ekiti State Governorship Election, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has unveiled an extensive security and risk-management strategy aimed at preventing electoral violence, vote-buying, and other threats capable of undermining the June 20 poll.
The disclosure came during a series of engagements with election stakeholders and traditional rulers in Ado-Ekiti, where the Commission detailed the outcome of its pre-election threat assessment and outlined measures being implemented to safeguard voters, election officials, and electoral materials.
At the centre of the Commission’s preparations is a comprehensive risk-mapping exercise that identified several local government areas as potential flashpoints for political violence, ballot disruption, cult-related activities, and other security concerns.
According to Prof. Amupitan, Ado-Ekiti, Effon, Ekiti South West, Ikere, Irepodun/Ifelodun, and Oye local government areas have been classified as vulnerable to political thuggery and attempts to disrupt the electoral process.
Additional concerns were raised in Emure, Ikole, Ilejemeje, and Moba local government areas, where kidnapping and other asymmetric security threats have prompted heightened vigilance.
The INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission had identified 469 polling units located within a 500-metre radius of these vulnerable locations and would subject them to enhanced security monitoring and coordinated protection by multiple security agencies.
“We have undertaken detailed empirical risk mapping and put in place corresponding mitigation measures. Every identified threat has been matched with a response strategy,” he said.
the Commission expressed concern over the growing challenge of vote-buying, which it described as a major threat to democratic credibility.
INEC announced the deployment of anti-corruption agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to work alongside election security personnel across the state’s 2,445 polling units.
Prof. Amupitan said the objective was not only to protect ballot boxes from physical attacks but also to shield voters from financial inducements capable of compromising the integrity of the election.
“We shall defend the ballot box from physical violence and fiscal contamination alike,” he stated.
The Commission has enlisted the support of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers to promote peace and discourage electoral misconduct.
Prof. Amupitan urged traditional rulers to use their authority to engage candidates, political parties, youth groups, and community leaders on the need for peaceful conduct throughout the electoral period.
He specifically called on monarchs to mobilise town criers, ward heads, and community structures to encourage voter participation and discourage acts capable of triggering violence.
The royal fathers were also asked to join ongoing campaigns against vote-buying by educating residents on the long-term consequences of selling their votes.
“The Fountain of Knowledge must lead the nation in demonstrating that electoral choices cannot be purchased,” the INEC Chairman told the traditional rulers.
The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, CP Michael Falade, assured stakeholders that all security agencies involved in election duties would remain professional, impartial, and focused on protecting democratic rights.
He pledged adequate deployment of personnel across the state and warned individuals or groups planning to disrupt the election to desist from such actions.
According to him, security agencies are working closely with INEC and the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure seamless coordination before, during, and after the election.
INEC also reminded political parties of their commitment to the Peace Accord signed on May 21 by all 13 governorship candidates and political parties participating in the election.
Prof. Amupitan warned that its success would be judged by conduct on election day rather than signatures on paper.
He urged party leaders to ensure that campaign teams, polling agents, supporters, and local structures strictly adhere to the principles of peaceful competition and respect for democratic rules.
With over one million registered voters expected to participate, political observers view the Ekiti governorship election as a major test of Nigeria’s evolving electoral system and security architecture.
The Commission’s combination of technological safeguards, intelligence-led security deployment, anti-corruption monitoring, and grassroots mobilisation through traditional institutions is expected to play a crucial role in determining the credibility of the exercise.
