Ekiti governorship candidates and political parties on Thursday signed a peace accord ahead of the June 20, 2026 governorship election, pledging to ensure a violence-free and credible poll across the state.
The peace accord ceremony, organised by the National Peace Committee and implemented by the Kukah Centre, brought together political actors, electoral officials, security agencies, traditional rulers, civil society groups, religious leaders and development partners in Ado Ekiti.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), represented by former Chief of Army Staff, General Martin Agwai, said the accord was aimed at strengthening accountability and democratic responsibility before, during and after the election.
He urged political parties and their supporters to embrace issue-based campaigns and shun violence, hate speech and other forms of electoral misconduct.
Abubakar said, “No political ambition is worth the loss of lives or destruction of peace in our communities. Elections will come and go, but the peace and unity of the state must be maintained.”
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, commended the political parties and candidates for signing the accord and urged them to uphold its spirit beyond the ceremony.
According to him, INEC has concluded preparations for the election, with deployment plans covering the 16 local government areas, 177 registration areas and 2,445 polling units in the state.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission had presented the Certified True Copy of the harmonised voter register to political parties, revealing that 1,059,360 registered voters would participate in the governorship poll.
He added that INEC had strengthened its logistics and technological frameworks to ensure a smooth and credible election process.
“It is not the signatures written today that preserve democracy; it is the character of the leaders who hold the pen,” the INEC chairman stated.
The Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, assured residents and stakeholders of adequate security before, during and after the election.
Disu said security personnel and operational assets would be strategically deployed across all local governments and polling units to guarantee the safety of voters, electoral officers and observers.
He said the police and other security agencies would remain professional and impartial throughout the electoral process.
“Elections should be a contest of ideas and service, not conflict and division,” the IGP said.
Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, who signed the peace accord alongside other candidates, reaffirmed his commitment to peaceful conduct before, during and after the election.
Oyebanji noted that the All Progressives Congress recently concluded its campaign tour across the local governments without any record of violence.
He said, “This is the first time in the history of the state that an election will be a few days away and we will have this kind of peace.
“I stand to make a commitment that the election will be peaceful because it is only in an atmosphere of peace that we can serve our people.”
