Politics
As Ekiti Governorship Poll Holds Tomorrow
As the Ekiti State Governorship election holds tomorrow, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has declared its readiness to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
Credible poll depends on many variables and top on the list are safety and security of voters, election materials, electoral officials and freedom of voters to make their choice without let or hindrance, including financial inducement.
Contesting the poll for the governorship seat at Oke-Bareke in Ado-Ekiti are 16 political parties. Most of the parties have traversed the nooks and crannies of the state selling their candidates and manifestos to the people.
Prominent among the gladiators are Abiodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, APC: Olusegun Oni of the Social Democratic Party, SDP; and Bisi Kolawole of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Others are Wole Oluyede of the African Democratic Congress, ADC; Reuben Famuyibo of the Accord; Debo Ranti Ajayi of the Young People’s Party, YPP; and 10 others.
Worth mentioning is the first female governorship candidate in the state, Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle of the Action Democratic Party, ADP. From the blast of the whistle for this race, she has been consistent and very visible, holding her own and fighting her way into reckoning in the male-dominated race. Despite the fact that all her party executive members from ward to state level decamped to the ruling party, she has been defiant and still on her feet.
The stake in this election is high. It is a three horse race. The coming of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has changed the calculations from what could have been a straight fight between the two traditional rivals, APC and PDP. The two parties had hitherto maintained a seemingly balance of power, with almost equal followership but the reality on ground today is different. Segun Oni’s SDP draws followers and supporters from both parties and is presently a serious contender.
Ekiti and Osun governorship elections precede the 2023 presidential election, and both will serve as a litmus test of the popularity and general acceptability of the APC presidential flagbearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and it will also signify the political relevance of the outgoing Governor, Kayode Fayemi.
To underscore the importance of Ekiti election, no fewer than 14 APC governors accompanied Tinubu to Ekiti, for the grand final mega rally to campaign for the governorship candidate of the party, apart from the National Chairman and Secretary of the party and other party bigwigs, including the former National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande.
Segun Oni, a former Governor of the state, between 2007 and 2010 is having his last shot at the governorship seat, having failed to stage a come-back on two different occasions through APC and PDP before finding an abode in the SDP.
Former Governor Ayo Fayose’s investment in this race is a fight for political relevance, since all politics is local, a successful enthronement of his protégé in Ekiti, will signpost a big come-back and a significant role in 2023 presidential election.
Signs preceding Saturday’s election are very ominous. Already two lives have been lost. Momentary peace, akin to the peace of grave yard has pervaded the state. Skirmishes, violent clashes among the three prominent political parties are being recorded on daily basis.
Since Monday, June 13 June, detachments of heavily armed soldiers have taken over strategic areas and flashpoints in the state, while combined forces, made up of men from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Police and Army constantly embark on patrols of major roads and highways in the state.
Undeterred by the tension in the state, the INEC has told the people of the state of its readiness to conduct a credible election.
Professor Mahmood Yakubu, on Tuesday, disclosed that four national commissioners and eight resident electoral commissioners had been deployed to Ekiti State ahead of the poll.
He said that 749, 065 voters representing 76 per cent out of the 988,923 registered voters in the state have collected their Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.
He said: “Let me assure political parties and voters that the task of electing a new governor will be left in the hands of Ekiti voters. We won’t take any action that would put any party and candidate in a vantage position. We are going to do everything according to the constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act.
“To underscore how prepared we are, we have provided magnifying glasses and braile ballot papers for visually impaired citizens while the Bimodal Voters Authentication System Machines, BVAS, will be used for accreditation.
Similarly, Ekiti INEC Resident Commissioner, Dr Adeniran Tella, said the Commission would be deploying 10,269 personnel, and 3,346 BVAS equipment for the election.
The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Usman Alkali Baba, did not mince words when he declared that any threat to the nation’s bourgeoning democracy would not be tolerated.
Baba said 17,374 police personnel would be deployed to provide security cover for the June 18 governorship elections in Ekiti State.
The police Chief said: “All the 177 wards and 2,445 polling units will be manned by appropriate manpower. Let me say this, the massive deployment is not to scare the citizens, but to protect the sanctity of the ballots and the provisions of the Electoral Act.
This is apart from personnel from the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies.
Baba dismissed the insinuation that the heavy security presence would create voters apathy saying that it would rather ensure large turnout of voters during the election
He assured the voters that adequate security personnel are on ground to ward off any security threat that can hinder them from exercising their franchise rights during the poll.
Political watchers are concerned that beyond rhetoric, the electoral umpire and the security agencies are not disclosing measures put in place to prevent financial inducement of voters, a development, which has gained currency in the recent political trajectory of the country. They said if the practice is not nipped in the bud, it could affect the outcome of the election.
A senator who represented Taraba Central, Mr Abubakar Yusuf, has declared that the economic policies of President Bola Tinubu are not yielding the expected results.
His comment is one of the strongest internal critiques yet from within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The comment underscores the growing dissatisfaction within sections of the ruling party over the direction and impact of the administration’s economic reforms amid rising living costs and fiscal pressures across the country.
Mr Yusuf, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2023 under the platform of the APC, made the remarks during an appearance on national television.
Responding to a question on whether the administration’s economic direction, often referred to as Tinubunomics, was working, Mr Yusuf answered in the contrary.
“For me, it is not working. I am a member of the APC. I would be the last person to hide the facts”, he said.
He said while the government might be operating diligently within its policy structure, the framework itself is ill-suited to Nigeria’s current realities
“Within the policy framework, yes, they are doing their best, but it is not the framework that is suitable for Nigeria at the point in time that President Asiwaju came into power,” he said.
Mr Yusuf criticised the immediate removal of fuel subsidy on the day the president was sworn in, arguing that the decision lacked sufficient consultation and planning.
“I am one of those who say President Asiwaju ought to have waited. Not on the day he was sworn in to say subsidy is gone. On what basis?”, he asked.
He urged broader engagement before major fiscal decisions are taken.
“Sit down with your cabinet, sit down with your ministers, sit down with your advisers,” he said, dismissing the argument that subsidy removal was justified solely on grounds of corruption.
The former lawmaker identified “structural flaws” in the country’s budgeting system, particularly the envelope budgeting model.
“One of the basic problems is that before you budget, you should have a plan. The envelope system we have been operating has been you budget before you plan. That has been a major issue”, he said.
He argued that allocating spending ceilings without aligning them to concrete development strategies inevitably weakens implementation and delivery.
“If you give me an envelope which is contrary to my plan, whether it is plus or minus, there is no way I am going to implement my plan. It is bound to fail,” he said.
Mr Yusuf called for the scrapping of the envelope budgeting system, noting that he had consistently opposed it even during his years in the National Assembly.
“It is not good for us. It is not going to work well for us,” he said.
He further blamed poor capital releases and persistent deficit financing for undermining budget performance over the years.
“We could not meet 60 percent of our capital budget in all these years. No releases. If you make a budget and the release is very poor, there is no way the budget will be executed”, he stated.
According to him, weak fund disbursement mechanisms and reliance on deficit financing have entrenched a cycle of underperformance.
“Our budget ought to have been a surplus budget, but all our budgets have always been deficit financing budgets,” Mr Yusuf added.
The Nigerian House of Representatives has resolved to reconvene for an emergency session tomorrow February 17, 2026, to deliberate on issues arising from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) release of the timetable for the 2027 general elections.
The decision was disclosed in a statement issued by the House Spokesman, Rep. Akin Rotimi, who described the electoral body’s announcement as one of “constitutional and national significance.”
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
According to the statement, members of the Green Chamber were notified of the emergency sitting through an internal memorandum from the Speaker’s office.
The session is expected to focus on legislative matters connected to the newly released timetable, reflecting the House’s resolve to act promptly on issues affecting the nation’s democratic process.
Rep. Rotimi noted that all related businesses would be treated with urgency and urged lawmakers to prioritise attendance in view of the importance of the deliberations.
INEC had on Friday formally unveiled the comprehensive schedule for the 2027 polls, including timelines for party primaries slated for July to September 2026, as well as the commencement of Continuous Voter Registration in April 2026.
The development comes amid ongoing consultations and proposed amendments to the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the controversy over the transmission of election results continues across the country, the Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), a pro democracy organisation in the country, has criticised the National Assembly for not giving express approval to real time transmission of elections results.
To this end, the group is calling on all civil society organisations in the country to mobilise and push for a better Electoral Reform in the country.
This was contained in a press statement titled, “Defence For Human Rights and Democracy Demands Real Time Election Transmission of Result”, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt.
The group described the refusal of compulsory real time transmission of result results by the Senate as undemocratic, adding that the situation will give room for election manipulation, rigging and voters apathy.
It said that the provision of mandatory real time transmission of election results would have significant improvement on the nation’s democracy.
According to the statement, “Since the return of democracy in 1999 to date, it is 27 years, so our Democracy has metamorphosed from being nascent and as such significant improvement should have been recorded.
“Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is really disappointed at the National Assembly, especially the upper chamber (Senate) for not approving ‘Real Time Electronic Transmission of Election Result’.
“This undemocratic act of theirs, if not tamed, will give room for election manipulation and rigging’”.
Signed by Comrade Clifford Christopher Solomon on behalf of the organisation, the statement further said, “The Defence For Human Rights and Democracy unequivocally supports real time transmission of election result”, stressing that his group will resist any act by the National Assembly to undermine the nation’s democracy.
“DHRD,unequivocally supports ‘True Democracy’, which is Government of the people, by the people and for the people.
“Therefore, anything that will crash the hope of Nigerians to Freely, Fairly and Transparently elect candidates of their choice in any given election should and will be vehemently resisted because good governance begins with leaders elected through credible process. By so doing, leaders have entered a social contract with the citizens to equitably manage their affairs and abundant resources”, the statement added.
It urged the National Assembly to revisit the issue in order to avoid civil unrest.
According to the DHRD, “To avoid civil unrest,voters apathy, election rigging and manipulation, rather to promote citizens participation, advancing our Democracy and entrenching free, fair, credible and acceptable electoral outcome, the National Assembly should amend the electoral act in a manner that will deepen our democracy and boost citizens confidence.
“On this note, The Defence For Human Rights And Democracy (DHRD), is calling on all other civil society organisations (CSOs) to mobilise, organise and push for a better electoral act amendment by the National Assembly”.
By: John Bibor
