Nigeria’s electoral body says more than one million people are registered to vote in this weekend’s crucial governorship election in the south-western state of Ekiti.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) confirmed that 97.1% of registered voters have collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) ahead of the poll on Saturday, 20 June. The figure marks a steady rise in voter engagement in the state.
Total registered voters grew from 987,647 during the 2023 general elections to 1,059,360 this year. Of those, 1,028,929 people successfully picked up their voting cards. To boost turnout, INEC extended the collection deadline by three days following emergency talks with local political parties, civil society groups, and traditional rulers in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti.
Technological delays
The build-up to the vote has highlighted some of the technological hurdles facing Africa’s most populous democracy as it tries to modernise its voting systems. Under Nigeria’s latest electoral laws, INEC is required to issue replacement cards for voters who have lost or damaged theirs. While the commission managed to print physical replacements for all 14,406 people who applied, it admitted a planned digital backup system was not ready.”The option of a downloadable copy of the lost, damaged or defaced Voter Cards could not be implemented in this election because the necessary technology infrastructure for this is yet to be completed,” said Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC’s national commissioner for information. Mr Haruna added that the digital download system is expected to be up and running for the upcoming Osun State governorship election in August, as well as the country’s next general election in 2027.
Regional spotlight
The Ekiti election is being closely watched by international observers as a litmus test for the country’s political climate. Off-cycle governorship elections in Nigeria are notoriously high-stakes, often drawing heavy security deployments to prevent localized violence and ballot snatching. In a statement, the electoral commission urged residents to remain peaceful and reiterated its commitment to delivering a “free, fair, credible and inclusive” vote.
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