Ekiti Election: Yiaga Africa confirms INEC results, raises concerns over vote buying

The election observation group, Yiaga Africa, has said the official results of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are consistent with its independent verification estimates.

The group, however, warned that widespread vote buying and voter inducement cast a shadow over the credibility of the electoral process.

The organisation made the disclosure on Sunday in a post-election Process and Results Verification Statement signed by Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of Yiaga Africa’s 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission.

According to the group, its Watching The Vote (WTV) Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology showed that the results announced by INEC fell within its estimated range, indicating that the figures reflected ballots counted at polling units across the state.

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“INEC’s official results for the 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election are consistent with Yiaga Africa’s WTV estimate, as they fall within Yiaga Africa’s estimated range. This indicates that the official results, as announced, reflect the ballots counted at polling units,” the group said.

Yiaga Africa noted that had the official results fallen outside its estimated range, it would have raised questions about the accuracy of the collation and tabulation process. It said the consistency between its estimates and INEC’s declared results specifically supports the accuracy of the polling-unit result tabulation.

Concerns over vote buying

Despite validating the official results, the organisation expressed concern about reports of vote-buying and voter inducement during the election.

It said the prevalence of such practices raised serious questions about whether voters were able to make choices freely and without undue influence.

“Widespread reports of vote buying and voter inducement raise serious concerns about the integrity of voter choice and the extent to which the outcome reflected the free will of the electorate,” the statement said.

The concerns raised by Yiaga Africa mirror PREMIUM TIMES’ observations during the election. Reporters observed party agents in parts of Ise-Ekiti and Emure-Ekiti issuing numbered slips to voters after they cast their ballots, a tactic election observers say can be used to facilitate vote buying without the direct exchange of cash at polling units.

Vote buying has emerged as a recurring challenge in recent Nigerian elections despite efforts by electoral and security agencies to curb the practice.

Turnout discrepancy

Yiaga Africa also flagged a discrepancy in the voter turnout figures announced by INEC.

According to the organisation, its PRVT estimated the voter turnout in the election at between 34.1 per cent and 38.2 per cent, while INEC announced an official turnout of 38.7 per cent at the state collation centre.

The group attributed the variance to the voter register used by INEC in calculating turnout.

“INEC’s turnout figure falls slightly outside Yiaga Africa’s confidence interval. Yiaga Africa observed that the number of registered voters announced and used for the calculation of voter turnout by INEC during the State Collation and Declaration of Results was 988,251. This is the data from the 2022 Ekiti register as against the updated 2026 register with 1, 059, 360 registered voters,” the statement read.

Yiaga Africa warned that failure to address such inconsistencies in future elections could create unnecessary controversy and potentially affect the conclusiveness of election outcomes.

Recommendations

The organisation urged INEC to clarify the discrepancy between the number of registered voters used to calculate turnout and the actual number, and to take steps to correct it.

It also called on the commission to strengthen quality assurance in the production, verification, distribution and deployment of sensitive election materials, including ballot papers and result sheets, to ensure they accurately reflect the final list of parties participating in elections.

The group further asked INEC to improve clarity and coordination in implementing provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and its regulations, particularly regarding election-day procedures and the use of downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

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Yiaga Africa urged security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend and prosecute electoral offenders, noting that vote buying and voter intimidation increasingly occur around polling units rather than inside them.

“Enforcement must extend beyond the precincts of the polling unit to the surrounding spaces where inducement and coercion are now routinely carried out,” the group said.

The organisation also called on political parties to invest in training polling agents in electoral laws and guidelines to improve compliance and reduce disputes during the management of results.

In addition, it urged authorities to regulate the use of incumbency powers and state resources during elections, arguing that abuse of such advantages undermines electoral competitiveness and democratic legitimacy.

Yiaga Africa commended residents of Ekiti State for conducting themselves peacefully during the election and encouraged citizens to remain engaged in the democratic process by holding elected officials accountable for their campaign promises.

“We encourage the voters to sustain their participation in the electoral process beyond the elections by holding political parties and candidates accountable for their campaign promises,” the statement added.

The organisation said it would release a comprehensive report on the election in the coming weeks containing additional findings and recommendations for stakeholders.