Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sustain transparency and professionalism in the conduct of Saturday governorship election in Ekiti State.

The civil society organisation made the call in its pre-election statement issued on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti under its Watching The Vote (WTV) election observation initiative.

It urged INEC to maintain effective deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), ensure proper accreditation of voters and guarantee timely transmission and management of election results in line with established guidelines.

The organisation also appealed to security agencies to sustain intelligence-led deployments and maintain neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral process, including voting, counting, transmission and collation of results.

According to the group, the safety of voters, election officials, observers, party agents and election materials must be guaranteed to ensure peaceful and credible election.

Yiaga Africa further urged INEC, security agencies and anti-corruption bodies to proactively identify, arrest and prosecute individuals involved in vote buying and other forms of electoral malpractice on election day.

It urged political parties and candidates to publicly denounce vote buying and discourage  supporters from engaging in any activity capable of undermining the integrity of the electoral process.

It also stressed the need for sustained voter education, particularly among women, youths, persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

The organisation noted that informed participation remains essential to the credibility and inclusiveness of elections. 

(NAN)