By Gabriel Ameh
The election observation group, Yiaga Africa, has raised concerns over inconsistencies in electoral materials deployed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the ongoing 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election.
In a preliminary statement released on Saturday, the organisation said its observers identified discrepancies between ballot papers, polling unit result sheets and the official list of candidates published by INEC.
According to Yiaga Africa, observations from its Watching The Vote (WTV) project revealed that Form EC8A polling unit result sheets contain spaces for 15 political parties, while ballot papers being used for the election display 19 parties. However, INEC’s final list of candidates, updated on June 18, 2026, shows that only 14 political parties fielded candidates for the governorship contest.
The group noted that although the discrepancies may have resulted from court rulings and administrative changes that occurred after INEC initially published its candidate list in January 2026, the inconsistencies could create confusion during voting, result recording and collation.
Yiaga Africa explained that where result sheets contain political parties not appearing on the ballot paper, election officials may be compelled to record zero votes for parties voters never encountered during voting. Similarly, where voters cast ballots for parties listed on the ballot paper but absent from result sheets, questions could arise regarding how such votes would be documented and reconciled during collation.
The organisation warned that the situation could undermine transparency and public confidence in the electoral process if not urgently addressed.
To address the concerns, Yiaga Africa urged INEC to immediately provide public clarification on the final list of participating parties and candidates, while also explaining the differences observed across the various election materials.
The group further called on the electoral commission to issue clear written guidelines to presiding officers and collation officials on how to complete result sheets in line with applicable laws and court decisions, particularly in situations where parties appear on one election document but not another.
Yiaga Africa stated that its election
