Amupitan promises credible poll, adequate security in Ekiti

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, on Thursday assured Ekiti people that the June 20 governorship election would be credible.

Amupitan said that “INEC is logistically, technologically and operationally prepared to deliver an election that will stand as an unassailable baseline of credibility. A credible election is built upon the integrity of its voter registers.

The INEC chairman stated this in Ado Ekiti while addressing stakeholders on the commission’s preparedness for the election.

He said that there were 1,059,360 registered voters who could exercise their franchise across the 16 local government areas, spanning 117 wards and 2,445 polling units.

He said, “To secure the sanctity of the ballot, the Commission is deploying its full suite of technological safeguards. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System will be the sole instrument for voter authentication and accreditation.

“Our immutable legal standard is – No PVC, No Accreditation and No Voting. There will be no bypasses, and there will be no exceptions.”

He disclosed that the commission was partnering with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Crimes commission to deter vote trading.

He said, “Deployed personnel are under strict instructions to keep the immediate perimeter of our 2,445 polling units completely insulated from the corrosive influence of vote-buying and financial inducement. We shall defend the ballot box from physical violence and fiscal contamination alike.”

According to him, all polling-level results will be uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to guarantee public transparency.

The INEC chairman said, “Simultaneously, we have deliberately elevated our infrastructure for administrative inclusivity. This election will see the practical deployment of assistive technologies – including Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses for persons with albinism and persons living with disabilities. Equity is not an afterthought; it is a necessity.”

He urged the political leadership to actively de-escalate rhetoric, saying, “The Commission, working in absolute cohesion with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, has mapped every localised vulnerability, including specific risks related to political thuggery, cultism, or attempted ballot disruption in known areas in the state.

“Security forces have been handed precise operational orders to deal decisively with any actor, regardless of status, who seeks to subvert the peace or test our collective resolve.”

Amupitan, who said that INEC goal was the simultaneous activation of all 2,445 polling units at exactly 8:30am on Election Day, said that logistics plan had been perfected, adding that arrangements with the transporters were being finalised to ensure a synchronised movement of personnel and materials.

He told the political parties, candidates and Ekiti citizens, “The ultimate credibility of our democracy rests upon a shared allegiance to the rule of law. On its part, the INEC remains an independent, completely dispassionate, and impartial arbiter in the discharge of its constitutional mandates.

“We hold no preferred candidates and we answer to no political interest. Our solitary alignment is with the law and the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.

He urged media practitioners, “Report what you see with accuracy, with fairness, and with professional discipline. Resist the temptation of sensationalism, reject the inducement of partisanship, and decline every invitation to become an instrument of electoral mischief.

“The Nigerian voter deserves the truth, and only the truth. Report it without fear and without favour,” the INEC chief said.

Stakeholders at the meeting included political party members, governorship candidates and their deputies, civil society organisations, observers, media practitioners and INEC officials.