INEC Says 1.6 Million Voters Will Decide Ekiti Governorship Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it has successfully completed the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) with about 1.6 million expected to vote in the Ekiti State Governorship Election scheduled for Saturday, June 20, 2026.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the Commission disclosed that the number of registered voters in the state rose from 987,647 in 2023 to 1,059,360 in 2026 following the suspension of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the subsequent clean-up of the voters’ register.

INEC said that 1,028,929 PVCs have been collected so far, which is 97.1 per cent of the registered voters. This is a slight increase from the 958,052 PVCs collected in 2023 with a collection rate of 97.0 per cent.

“Following consultations with stakeholders at a meeting held in Ado-Ekiti, the Commission recalled that the PVC collection exercise was extended from June 11 to June 14.

INEC also revealed that it received 14,406 applications for the replacement of lost, damaged or defaced PVCs in accordance with the provisions of Section 18(1) of the Electoral Act 2026.

All 14,406 replacement cards were successfully printed and most had already been picked up by eligible voters, the statement said.

But the electoral body said the plans to introduce a downloadable version of replacement voter cards could not be implemented for the Ekiti election because the required technological infrastructure had not been completed.

The Commission explained that the digital replacement option would be available for future elections, including the Osun State Governorship Election in August 2026 and the 2027 General Election.

The INEC thanked traditional rulers, community leaders, civil society organisations, political parties and media organisations for their support in mobilising citizens to collect their PVCs and participate in the electoral process.

“It is important to note that all PVCs for eligible applicants, including those who applied for transfers and replacements, were printed and made available before the election,” the Commission added.

It said, “A detailed breakdown of PVC collection by local government areas has been uploaded to its website and social media platforms.

As the election preparations move into the final stages, INEC has called on all registered voters who have collected their PVCs to come out peacefully on election day to perform their civic responsibility.

The Commission also reassured the people of Ekiti State of its commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election.