Adedayo Oketola is the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan. In this interview with AKOMBO AONDONA, he spoke on the June 20 Ekiti State election, lessons learnt from previous polls in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and Anambra State, among others. Excerpts:
Congratulations are indeed in order, not just for the Commission, but for the entire Nigerian electorate. The Ekiti State Governorship Election on June 20, 2026, marks the third major off-cycle election successfully delivered under the leadership of our Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN. This follows the successful conduct of the Anambra State Governorship Election on Saturday, November 8, 2025, and the FCT Area Council Elections on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
Alongside the Ekiti poll, we also successfully conducted six concurrent legislative by-elections in Ondo, Nasarawa, Kano, Rivers, Kebbi, and Enugu on the same day. With 1,059,360 total registered voters and an impressive 1,028,929 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected, the Ekiti poll has been generally adjudged peaceful, transparent, and credible.
What were the logistics in place before Election Day that you believe helped in the conduct of the poll?
