NPC Raises Alarm: Vote-Buying, Violence, Insecurity Threaten Credibility of Ekiti 2026 Governorship Poll
The National Peace Committee (NPC) has issued a stark warning that pervasive vote-buying, electoral violence, and rising insecurity could severely undermine the legitimacy of the upcoming June 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State. The concerns were raised during a three-day Stakeholders’ Validation Forum organized by the NPC in Ado-Ekiti, with support from the European Union through the Kukah Centre. NPC Senior Programmes Manager Esrom Ajanya emphasized that vote-buying has become deeply entrenched, transforming elections into transactional exercises that erode democratic participation and political accountability. “Vote-buying, previously documented as pervasive in Ekiti elections, has normalized transactional politics,” Ajanya stated. He argued that the commercialization of votes has weakened policy debates, entrenched patronage systems, and reduced civic motivation among voters. The NPC also highlighted insecurity as a major barrier to credible polls, urging security...