Civil society organisations under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase Two (EU-SDGN II) programme have urged political parties and candidates in Ekiti State governorship election to sign and uphold peace accord.

The organisations made the call on Thursday in Abuja during a news  conference on the pre-election assessment report for the June 20 Ekiti off-cycle governorship election.

They also urged political parties and their candidates to commit publicly to issue-based campaigns.

Speaking, the Executive Director, Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), Brenda Anugwom, said parties and candidates should reject vote buying, intimidation and deployment of political thugs, while accepting credible electoral outcomes.

She also advised political actors to resolve internal disputes through lawful institutional and judicial channels and refrain from inflammatory rhetoric capable of escalating tension.

According to her, the Ekiti State election is significant as it will be the first governorship election to be conducted under the Electoral Act 2026.

“To the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ensure the timely release and effective utilisation of election funds to complete pending pre-election activities, including the rehabilitation of state and LGA offices.

“Configure and stress-test the BVAS and the IReV to guarantee seamless accreditation, transparent collation and the credible electronic transmission of results in line with the Electoral Act 2026,” she said.

She also called on security agencies to maintain neutrality, professionalism and intelligence-led deployment during the election.

The executive director decried the exclusion of women, youths and persons with disabilities from the political process.

According to her, none of the 13 political parties fielded a female governorship candidate despite the existing gender inclusion laws in Ekiti.

Speaking on the pre-election assessment report, the Executive Director, International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, said that INEC’s election preparedness across the 16 local government offices in Ekiti stood at only 34 per cent as of April 14, 2026.

Mr Arogundade said that the governorship elections scheduled for June 20 was the first to be governed by the new electoral act 2026.

He noted that this would test the implementation of key provisions of the new act.

He explained that the INEC office in Ekiti State had yet to receive election funding, while several state and local government offices, operational vehicles and collation centres required urgent rehabilitation.

He said though voter registration, BVAS inventory checks and stakeholder engagements were ongoing, delayed funding and poor infrastructure remained major concerns.

Mr Arogundade also noted that in spite of the relatively peaceful atmosphere in the state, the election was widely perceived as non-competitive due to the dominance of incumbency and an alleged elite consensus around the sitting governor.

He said, “A ‘peaceful and non-competitive’ election is not automatically a democratic one: The pre-election environment in Ekiti is generally calm.

“However, this calmness must not be misread as democratic health. Pre-election activities have so far proceeded without any serious breach of the peace.”

Mr Arogundade said that Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, Moba and Ilejemeje local government areas were classified as high-risk areas due to concerns over urban violence and kidnapping exposure.

Mr Arogundade urged INEC to ensure timely release and effective utilisation of election funds and strengthen voter education to discourage vote trading.

He also criticised the N5 million campaign signage levy imposed by the Ekiti State Signage and Advertisement Agency, saying it disadvantaged opposition parties. (NAN)