The police have warned Nigerians against vote-buying, violence and other electoral offences amid ongoing elections in parts of the country.

The governorship election is underway in Ekiti State as the Independent National Electoral Commission assured voters of credible and transparent process.

While four senatorial bye-poll will be held in Enugu, Rivers, Ondo and Nasarawa states, House of Representatives and state assembly bye-elections will also take place in Kano and Kebbi states respectively.

In an update on X on Saturday, the force said electoral offences undermined democracy and would not be tolerated.

“The Nigeria Police Force warns against vote buying, vote selling, ballot box snatching, violence, intimidation, and any other act capable of disrupting the electoral process,” it stated.

The police vowed to arrest and prosecute offenders in accordance with the law.

The police’s warning came amid widespread concerns from observers that vote-buying, violence and other criminal activities could undermine credible and transparent elections.

Meanwhile, civic society organisation Yiaga Africa said the Ekiti State governorship election must pass the tests of “preparedness, transparency and neutrality” to be considered a model for electoral integrity under the new Electoral Act.

A statement on Friday by the chairperson of Yiaga’s 2026 Ekiti election observation mission, Aisha Abdullahi, said that failure to pass the tests would be “another missed opportunity to rebuild public trust ahead of the 2027 general election.”

The organisation noted that credible elections depended on efficient administration.

It added that these factors must be seen in the “timely deployment of personnel and materials, functional electoral technology and the readiness of officials to implement election day procedures.”