British election monitors praise Ekiti poll but highlight several worrying discrepancies

BRITISH election observers who recently monitored Ekiti State gubernatorial election have raised concern over several discrepancies which characterised the exercise which took the shine off what was otherwise a peaceful event.

Last Saturday, Ekiti State went to the polls to elect a new governor and after counting on Sunday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec), declared the incumbent Abiodun Oyebanji, the winner. Governor Oyabanji of the ruling All Progressives Congress, secured 319,224 votes, defeating his closest rival, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, who scored 40,543 votes, followed by Oluwadare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress who got 12,872 votes.

Despite the fact that the exercise was free of violence and Governor Oyabanji won with such a margin that the result could not really be disputed, the election monitors said there were some worrying discrepancies they observed. British election observers at the exercise have passed their findings on to the high commission in Abuja who have asked that these matters be looked into.

According to the high commission, there were several challenges that emerged during the exercise, including technical disruptions, vote trading and inadequate accessibility for persons with disabilities. It added that the poll served as an important assessment of the implementation of the Electoral Act 2026 and its accompanying regulations, making it a significant milestone in Nigeria’s evolving democratic process.

In the main, the high  commission described the election as largely peaceful and orderly, commending the efforts of Inec, security agencies and other stakeholders whose collaboration contributed to a stable voting environment. However, while commending electoral officials for giving priority attention to elderly and vulnerable voters at several polling centres, the UK observer team expressed concern about the accessibility of many voting locations.

Ahead of the election, members of the British high commission's observer team engaged with key stakeholders, including electoral officials and security agencies, to gain insight into preparations for the poll and the application of the new legal framework governing elections. These observers noted that a significant number of polling units visited were not adequately designed to accommodate persons living with disabilities, potentially limiting their ability to participate fully in the electoral process.

Moving forward, the high commission stressed the importance of making future elections more inclusive by ensuring that polling centres are accessible to all eligible voters regardless of physical limitations. It urged relevant authorities and stakeholders to build on existing successes and adopt best practices across all polling units ahead of future elections.

In addition, the UK delegation also reported technical difficulties involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System at several polling units. According to the observers, the glitches contributed to delays in the accreditation and voting process, leading to longer waiting times for voters in some locations.

They warned that recurring technical problems could weaken public confidence in the electoral system and discourage voter participation if not effectively addressed. In addition to technical issues, the British observers reported witnessing instances of vote buying and what they described as interference by political party agents at some polling locations.

According to observers, vote trading remains a major threat to free and fair elections because it compromises the integrity of the voting process and influences voter choices through financial inducements. Looking ahead, the British high commission urged the Nigerian authorities to carefully examine the lessons from the Ekiti election and apply them to upcoming electoral contests, particularly the next off-cycle governorship election in Osun State.