The British High Commission in Abuja has congratulated Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji on his re-election while raising concerns over vote trading, technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, and the accessibility of polling units for persons with disabilities during Saturday’s governorship election.
This was contained in a statement issued by the British High Commission on Monday.
According to PUNCH Online, ABNTV reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission had declared Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress winner of the election after polling 319,224 votes across the state’s 16 local government areas.
He defeated his closest rival, Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party, who secured 40,533 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress polled 12,872 votes.
Congratulating voters and the governor, the High Commission said, “The British High Commission in Abuja congratulates the voters in Ekiti State for their participation in the governorship election held on 20 June 2026 and for their commitment to exercising their democratic rights. We also offer our congratulations to Governor Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on his re-election.”
The mission commended the conduct of the election, saying, “We welcome the peaceful and orderly delivery of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and other stakeholders.”
It added that British observers met with key stakeholders, including police officers and INEC officials, ahead of the poll to assess the implementation of the Electoral Act 2026.
According to the statement, “On the day of the election, our observers witnessed positive collaboration between INEC officials and security agencies, which played an important role in ensuring voting was mostly peaceful.”
The High Commission, however, noted that although vulnerable voters were prioritized at several polling units, many voting centers remained inaccessible to persons with disabilities.
It stated, “The physical location and setup of most polling units visited were inaccessible to voters with disabilities. We encourage continued collaboration among stakeholders to build on areas of good practice to ensure implementation at all polling units ahead of the general elections in 2027.”
The British mission also expressed concern over technical issues affecting the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
It said, “Our observers also noted delays to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) at some polling units, which slowed down voting. Technical issues risk undermining voter confidence in electoral systems and can discourage turnout.”
The statement further raised concerns over vote buying and the conduct of party agents at some polling units.
It noted, “Our observation team was concerned to see instances of vote trading and interference by party agents at polling units visited. Vote trading erodes public confidence and undermines the democratic process. We call on all actors to take urgent steps to address this corrosive practice.”
