CDD Commends Peaceful Ekiti Poll, Flags Vote Buying, Electoral Gaps Despite APC Landslide By Raymond Enoch
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) has commended the peaceful conduct of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election but warned that persistent vote trading, inconsistencies in sensitive election materials and operational shortcomings remain serious threats to Nigeria’s electoral integrity.
In a post-election assessment released on Wednesday through its Election Analysis Centre (EAC), the democracy advocacy organisation described the June 20 off-cycle governorship election as largely peaceful across the state, while urging electoral authorities and stakeholders to address the weaknesses identified before future polls.
CDD-EAC said it deployed accredited observers across all 16 Local Government Areas of Ekiti State to monitor every stage of the electoral process, including the pre-election environment, deployment of personnel and materials, voter accreditation and voting, security operations, vote counting, result collation, information integrity and the conduct of political parties and other stakeholders.
According to the organisation, its findings were compiled from observer reports, stakeholder engagements, media monitoring and verified information gathered throughout the election, including developments that emerged after voting ended.
While acknowledging the professionalism displayed by many election officials and security personnel, CDD-EAC expressed concern that incidents of vote trading and irregularities involving sensitive election materials undermined the credibility of parts of the process.
The organisation also identified operational lapses that, although not sufficient to alter the overall outcome of the election, require urgent attention to strengthen public confidence in future elections.
The assessment comes days after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the governorship election.
According to the official results announced by INEC, Oyebanji secured a commanding 319,224 votes, winning all 16 local government areas and polling nearly 85 per cent of the total valid votes cast.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Wole Oluyede, finished a distant second with 40,543 votes, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Oluwadare Bejide, came third with 12,872 votes. Together, the three leading candidates accounted for more than 99 per cent of the valid votes cast.
CDD-EAC noted that while the election was largely peaceful and orderly, the persistence of inducement of voters and other operational deficiencies highlights the need for sustained electoral reforms, stricter enforcement of electoral laws and stronger institutional safeguards to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic process.
The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to supporting credible, transparent and inclusive elections through independent observation, evidence-based analysis and sustained engagement with electoral stakeholders.
