Yiaga Africa has confirmed that the official results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election are consistent with its independent verification, but expressed concerns over widespread vote buying, voter inducement and discrepancies in voter turnout figures.
The election observer group, through its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology, said its statistical analysis matched INEC’s final results, indicating that the results announced reflected ballots counted at polling units.
Presenting its post-election assessment in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday, Yiaga Africa stated that despite notable improvements in election administration, persistent cases of vote buying and weaknesses in election management remained serious threats to electoral integrity.
The group commended INEC for the early deployment of election materials and personnel, timely commencement of accreditation and voting, as well as the generally peaceful conduct of the election across the state.
Yiaga Africa, however, identified major concerns, including inconsistencies in voter’s turnout calculations, shortcomings in the management of sensitive election materials and inadequate public communication on late administrative and judicial decisions affecting the election.
According to the organisation, its independent analysis projected the All Progressives Congress (APC) to secure between 83.9 and 87.1 per cent of the votes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between 8.5 and 11.7 per cent, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) between 2.9 and 4.1 per cent, all of which aligned with INEC’s official declaration.
The group further revealed that while its estimated voter turnout ranged between 34.1 and 38.2 per cent, INEC announced a turnout of 38.7 per cent, noting that the electoral commission used an outdated figure of registered voters from 2022 instead of the updated 2026 register.
Yiaga Africa urged INEC to immediately clarify the discrepancy and strengthen quality assurance in the production and deployment of sensitive election materials ahead of future elections and the 2027 general elections.
It also called on security agencies to intensify efforts against vote buying and voter intimidation, while urging political parties to properly train their agents on electoral laws and guidelines.
The organisation added that regulating the use of incumbency powers and state resources remains essential to ensuring a level playing field and strengthening democratic competition in future elections.
