By Emeka Uga
The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has raised concerns over discrepancies in election results recorded during the 2026 Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to strengthen result management and transparency ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation also called for improved electoral security and stricter monitoring of campaign financing to address weaknesses identified in the electoral process.
KDI Executive Director, Bukola Idowu, made the recommendations during the Electoral Integrity Summit 2026 in Abuja, themed “Lessons From Ekiti and Osun for Nigeria’s 2027 Elections.”
Idowu said the recommendations followed an extensive assessment of the electoral process, covering activities from January 2026 to the conclusion of the elections in August.
He explained that the assessment examined three critical areas: election security, campaign finance and election result management.
ELECTORAL VIOLENCE: EKITI, OSUN EXPERIENCES
On electoral security, Idowu disclosed that KDI documented 15 incidents of electoral violence in Ekiti during the election period, although no post-election violence was recorded.
The situation in Osun was more concerning, with the organisation documenting violent incidents, including deaths before election day.
Although no deaths were recorded on election day in Osun, Idowu said cases of electoral and post-election violence were still observed.
He stressed the need for security agencies to strengthen preventive measures and ensure that electoral violence does not undermine democratic participation.
KDI SEEKS TRANSPARENCY IN CAMPAIGN FINANCING
On campaign finance, the KDI executive director called for greater accountability in political party spending, warning that inadequate oversight could undermine the fairness of elections.
He urged security agencies, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to strengthen monitoring and enforcement against financial violations linked to elections.
According to him, transparent campaign financing is essential to creating a level playing field for political parties and candidates.
RESULT DISCREPANCIES RAISE CONCERNS
Addressing election result management, Idowu acknowledged that the overall outcomes of the Ekiti and Osun elections generally reflected voters’ choices.
However, he identified inconsistencies that require urgent attention before the 2027 general elections.
The findings reportedly revealed discrepancies involving registered voter figures, accreditation records at some polling units, missing result entries and arithmetic errors during the collation and tabulation of results.
He also expressed concern over differences between results announced at polling units, figures uploaded to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and the final results declared by the commission.
According to Idowu, although INEC has explained that some results undergo reconciliation at the ward level, the commission needs to improve public access to the process.
He specifically recommended that reconciled ward-level results should also be uploaded to the IReV portal to allow citizens, observers and other stakeholders to independently verify the figures.
He said making the reconciled results accessible would help the public understand adjustments made during collation and reduce suspicions surrounding declared outcomes.
KDI CALLS FOR PROSECUTION OF ELECTORAL OFFENDERS
Beyond result management, Idowu urged security agencies to move beyond announcing arrests of electoral offenders and ensure that suspects are properly investigated and prosecuted.
He maintained that credible elections require more than arrests, stressing that those responsible for electoral offences must be held accountable through effective legal processes.
The KDI executive director called on INEC, security agencies, political parties, anti-corruption institutions and civil society organisations to study and implement the recommendations contained in the assessment report.
He said addressing the identified shortcomings before 2027 would help strengthen democratic institutions, consolidate electoral improvements and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the organisation said lessons from Ekiti and Osun should inform urgent reforms to ensure greater transparency, accountability and credibility in future elections.
Source: Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), through remarks by its Executive Director, Bukola Idowu, at the Electoral Integrity Summit 2026.
Credit: Emeka Uga Lazarus.
