Yiaga Africa says the today’s Ekiti State governorship election must pass the tests of “preparedness, transparency and neutrality” to be considered a model for electoral integrity under the new Electoral Act.

A statement on Friday by the chairperson of Yiaga’s 2026 Ekiti election observation mission, Aisha Abdullahi, said that failure to pass the tests would be “another missed opportunity to rebuild public trust ahead of the 2027 general election.”

The organisation noted that credible elections depended on efficient administration, adding that these factors must be seen in the “timely deployment of personnel and materials, functional electoral technology and the readiness of officials to implement election day procedures.”

Ms Abdullahi said, “As the first governorship election under the Electoral Act 2026 and the new Regulations and Guidelines, Ekiti will test INEC’s ability to faithfully implement the new legal and regulatory framework.

“Public confidence in the election will also depend on the conduct of security agencies. Their responsibility is to secure voters, election officials, observers, journalists, materials and polling locations without partisan interference, incumbency influence, intimidation or excessive use of force.”