EU Observes Peaceful Ekiti Governorship Election with Concerns

The European Union Observation Hub reported on the Ekiti governorship election, stating it was largely peaceful and orderly, with early deployment of electoral officials. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned optimally, achieving a 96% success rate across monitored polling units.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was noted to have successfully deployed personnel and election materials, with 75% of sampled polling units starting voting on time. Despite the positive assessment, the report highlighted concerns regarding voter inducement and intimidation, with 24 incidents of violence reported across ten local government areas.

The report also indicated that women constituted 51% of the voting population, with significant participation from persons with disabilities. However, some operational challenges were noted, including the denial of priority voting for nursing mothers and difficulties in capturing biometrics for elderly voters.

The overall atmosphere was described as calm, with security personnel deployed to ensure order.