ADO-EKITI, Nigeria — Candidates from 13 political parties contesting next month’s governorship election in Nigeria’s western Ekiti State have signed a formal peace agreement, promising a violence-free vote in a crucial test for the country’s electoral systems ahead of national polls next year.
Incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji, running for re-election under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), led other candidates on Thursday to sign the pact in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti, ahead of the June 20 election. Off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Nigeria—which are held outside the general election calendar due to past court over-turnings of local results—are historically fiercely contested and frequently marred by logistical friction and localized unrest.
‘More than a bureaucratic formality’
Prof. Joash Amupitan, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warned political leaders that the international community, alongside local voters, would hold them accountable to their pledges.”Time and experience have proven that where political leaders honour their commitments, the peace on paper translates directly to safety on the streets,” Prof. Amupitan said. “This document is not a mere bureaucratic formality; it is a moral treaty.”The electoral chief added that the commission is using the upcoming votes in Ekiti and neighboring Osun State to fine-tune its strategy for the 2027 General Election, which will require a massive 1.4 million ad-hoc workforce.
To manage the ballot boxes across Ekiti’s 16 local government areas, INEC is mobilizing thousands of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC)—a mandatory scheme for Nigerian university graduates that forms the backbone of the country’s election day workforce.
High Stakes and Heavy Security
Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, promised a comprehensive security presence to protect voters and election workers across all 2,445 polling units. He stressed that security agencies would maintain strict impartiality but warned that any attempts at vote-buying, ballot-box snatching, or voter intimidation would be met with an “unyielding hand of justice.”The peace pact was brokered by the National Peace Committee (NPC), an influential elite mediation group led by former military Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Representing General Abubakar at the ceremony, retired General Martin Agwai urged candidates to restrain their supporters at the grassroots level. “No political ambition is worth the loss of life or destruction of peace in our communities,” he said. International and domestic scrutiny of the vote will be high. Electoral officials confirmed that nearly 500 journalists and dozens of domestic observers have already been accredited to monitor the poll, alongside international observation missions.
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