Written by
Ishioma Appiah-Yeboah
Ahead of the June 20 Ekiti governorship election, thirteen political parties and their governorship candidates have signed a Peace Accord ahead of the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, committing to non-violence, issue-based campaigns, and respect for the rule of law.
The accord was signed on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti under the auspices of the National Peace Committee (NPC), chaired by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), who was represented by retired General Martin Luther Agwai.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, urged political actors to ensure the spirit of the peace agreement is reflected at the grassroots level, warning that “leadership won at the expense of human life and public trust is a hollow victory.”
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that INEC had completed seven out of nine key activities in its election timetable, with only the conclusion of campaigns on June 18 and the conduct of the election on June 20 remaining.
He added that the Commission was fully prepared to conduct the poll across 16 local government areas, 177 registration areas, and 2,445 polling units, with a total of 1,059,360 registered voters expected to participate.
According to him, the Certified True Copy of the harmonised voters register had already been presented to political parties, while 52,446 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members had been mobilised as ad-hoc staff for the election, as well as upcoming polls in other states.
“INEC does not look for a particular outcome; we are interested only in a lawful process,” he said, adding that logistics, technology systems, and result management frameworks had been strengthened to reduce vulnerabilities.
The INEC Chairman also revealed that 54 media organisations and 470 journalists had been accredited to cover the election, while 98 observer groups 96 domestic and two international would monitor the process.
Also speaking, General Martin Luther Agwai( est) while delivering his remarks on behalf of General Abdulsalam Abubakar (rtd),called on political actors to uphold peace, stressing that no political ambition was worth the loss of lives or disruption of community harmony.
“Elections will come and go, but the peace and unity of the state must remain,” he said.
On the other hand ,the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Olatunji Rilwan Disu, assured stakeholders that security agencies had developed comprehensive arrangements under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to cover all local government areas and polling units.
He pledged that the police would remain professional and neutral throughout the electoral process while urging voters to turn out peacefully on election day.
The event was attended by Governor of Ekiti State, candidates and chairmen of all 13 political parties, traditional rulers, civil society organisations, members of the diplomatic corps, religious leaders, and journalists.