Ekiti governorship election credible, says observer group

A coalition of human rights organisations that monitored last Saturday’s Ekiti governorship election has declared the poll credible, free and fair. The coalition, under the aegis of the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), said the outcome reflected the democratic will of Ekiti people. It added at a news conference in Lagos yesterday that the June 18 election was the aggregate expression of the democratic aspirations of voters. The coalition, which deployed 200 monitors across the state, is led by Martins Adeleke, Fred Ojinika and Akinwale Kasali. In a statement read by Adeleke, the group commended the people of Ekiti for a peaceful and orderly turnout. Related News How Ekiti governorship election was won and lost Winners, losers of Ekiti governorship election Ekiti: Court dismisses suit seeking to bar Fayemi READ ALSO: Shettima urges increased investment in human capital development across northern Nigeria It added that the exercise was free of the violence, ballot snatching and brigandage that characterised past elections in the state. The monitors credited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with ensuring real-time transmission of results, describing the process as transparent and accountable. NHRC also stated that the election met international standards, attributing this to INEC reforms and the credibility, transparency and professionalism of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, and his team. According to the coalition, the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) eliminated ballot snatching, manipulation of the voters’ register and use of fake voter registers, thereby rendering vote-stuffing-related thuggery unattractive. --> --> TAGS: Ekiti governorship election