Tension mounts as 37 contenders vie for 7 available positions in Ekiti, Enugu, Rivers, Kano, and several other states.

With the conclusion of campaigns by parties and candidates, and the distribution of sensitive election materials by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the stage is set for tomorrow’s off-cycle governorship poll in Ekiti State, as well as four senatorial, one House of Representatives, and one state assembly polls across six states.

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The Senatorial polls will be held in Enugu, Ondo, Nasarawa, and Rivers states, while the House of Representatives and state assembly bye-elections will be held in Kano and Kebbi respectively, with the Police and security agencies having read the riot act to would-be trouble-makers and election riggers, vowing to deal with them mercilessly.

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In Ekiti, the electoral commission commenced distribution of sensitive election materials to all 16 local government areas, starting at 1:25a.m. at the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN office in Ado-Ekiti, under close guard by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC.

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Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, assured stakeholders of INEC’s full readiness, urging voters to come out peacefully and perform their civic duty, as the process is being carried out in a transparent manner in the presence of security agencies, political parties, observers, and other stakeholders.

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The Commissioner of Police for the Ekiti governorship election, Mr Abayomi Shogunle, declared zero tolerance for vote-buying, political thuggery, and electoral violence ahead of the poll, warning that security agencies would deal decisively with offenders, with no fewer than 460 flashpoints identified across the state’s 16 LGAs.

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Shogunle said deployments had been scaled up at those locations to prevent breakdown of law and order, with the security operation following a multi-layered framework approved by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Olatunji Disu, tailored to address specific threats across different parts of the state.

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Surveillance had been intensified at all entry and exit points into Ekiti, particularly along borders with Kogi and Kwara states, with restrictions on vehicular movement on election day, advising voters to trek to polling units, with only accredited officials on essential duties exempted.

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Armed police teams would be stationed at strategic points for rapid response, while all 2,445 polling units and collation centres across the state would be fully protected, according to Shogunle, who expressed confidence that the election would be violence-free.

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Civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has identified vote-buying as the single biggest threat to the credibility of Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election, urging security agencies and anti-corruption bodies to take proactive measures against the menace, according to the Chair of Yiaga Africa’s Ekiti Election Observation Mission, Dr Aisha Abdullahi.

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Dr Abdullahi expressed concern over lingering security challenges in hotspot local government areas, including Ado-Ekiti, Ikole, Oye, and Ikere, and raised particular alarm over Ilejemeje and Moba, where recent kidnapping incidents could affect the safe movement of voters, officials, and observers — especially after 7p.m.

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The International Press Centre, IPC, urged journalists covering the election to maintain strict non-partisanship and ensure they were properly accredited and identified to avoid confrontations with security personnel, while TAF Africa deployed 150 observers — including persons with disabilities — to monitor inclusive participation across polling units.

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Assistant Programme Manager George Dominic Anwayi said the deployment was guided by data on polling units where PWDs are registered, and that observers would assess whether INEC’s assistive provisions — including Braille ballot guides and magnifying glasses – were effectively utilised.

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Former Senate President and National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, David Mark, and former Osun State Governor and National Secretary of the party, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, have berated the All Progressives Congress, APC, government in Ekiti State, declaring that it had failed residents and would not survive a free and fair governorship election on June 20.

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Both leaders spoke at a mega rally in Ado-Ekiti, where thousands of supporters gathered ahead of the off-cycle governorship poll, with Mark urging Ekiti residents to rally behind the ADC candidate, Ambassador Dare Bejide, describing him as the only candidate capable of rescuing the state from poverty.

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Aregbesola dismissed suggestions that ADC lacked the strength to challenge the ruling party, warning APC against underestimating the opposition, saying that if they truly wanted to go to the poll without writing results, they could never win that election.

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For Enugu North and Rivers South-East senatorial bye-elections, security agencies and the INEC have moved to reassure voters, promising tight but peaceful electoral processes in both zones, with the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Mr Mamman Giwa, ordering the restriction of human and vehicular movement from midnight to 6p.m. on Friday.

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The restriction excludes electoral officials and persons on verifiable essential duties, with the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, saying that the measure was designed to guarantee an orderly and credible process, and that ballot-box snatching, vote-buying, thuggery, and all forms of electoral violence would be met with the full weight of the law.

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In Rivers State, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Mr Johnson Sinikiem, assured stakeholders that security agencies had guaranteed comprehensive deployment, both on land and across riverine areas, for the Rivers South-East by-election, which covers 1,629 polling units spread across seven local government areas.

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Sinikiem said the commission held a joint Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, meeting on Wednesday, at which all security agencies gave firm assurances, with a total of 858,573 registered voters expected to participate in the Rivers South-East poll, and three supervising RECs from Delta, Adamawa, and Katsina states in Rivers to oversee the process.

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Four parties are in the race to replace Senator Barry Mpigi, who died recently, with the candidates being Fabeke Douglas of the Action Alliance, AA; Osarosaka Ebenezer Erewari of the APC; Sam Kinanee Barikpoa of the Labour Party, LP; and Olaka Nwogu of the PDP, according to the final list released by the INEC.

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In Ondo, four candidates are set for battle to fill the vacant seat left by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim after his appointment by President Bola Tinubu as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, with the district covering six local government areas: Okitipupa, Irele, Ese-Odo, Ilaje, Odigbo, and Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo.

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The INEC cleared only four political parties — Prof. Francis Adedayo Faduyile of the APC; Adeolu Akinwumi Harrison of the Allied Peoples’ Movement, APM; Prince Adesanya Olaoluwa of the Action Peoples Party, APP; and Nejo Funso Clement of the Boot Party — with 673,446 registered voters set to vote across 1,354 polling units and 66 registration areas.

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For the Nasarawa North Senatorial bye-election, to fill the vacancy created by Senator Godiya Akwashiki’s death, six candidates have been cleared to contest, with the latest additions being the candidates of National Democratic Congress, NDC, Mr. Duba Ishaya Dodo and that of ADC, Alaku Mohammed Steve Ahmed.

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The Nasarawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq, had earlier announced the names of political parties and candidates cleared for the by-election as Halilu Danladi Envulanza of the APC; Labaran Maku of the Labour Party; John Paul Araneshri of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP; and Emmanuel David Ombugadu of the PDP.

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For the Zuru state constituency bye-election in Kebbi State, it is a straight fight between the APC and LP, which are the only parties in the race, while in Kano State, three candidates are in the race to represent Dawakin Kudu/Warawa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

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The election is being conducted to fill the vacancy left by the death of the former lawmaker, Muhammad Hassan, with the candidates cleared by the INEC being Rabi’u Shuaibu of the APC, Lawan Garba Haruna of the APM, and Abubakar Yahaya Muhammad of the Labour Party.