Nigeria Marks 27 Years Of Democracy, INEC, Others Gear Up For Ekiti Polls

Nigeria marked 27 years of uninterrupted democratic rule since its return to civilian rule in 1999 on Friday, June 12, 2026.

President Bola Tinubu, governors, lawmakers, political parties, high-profile personalities and groups made speeches to commemorate the day.

They urged citizens to embrace unity, peace, patriotism, and democratic values, and paid tribute to the sacrifices of the heroes of the 12 June struggle.

President Bola Tinubu, in his address to the nation, charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and political parties to ensure peaceful, free, fair and credible governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

Tinubu, who warned that democracy fails when citizens lose confidence in the electoral process, also said the forthcoming elections in the two states presented another opportunity to strengthen democratic institutions and deepen public confidence in the electoral system.

He described Nigeria’s 27 years of civilian rule as the longest stretch of democratic governance in the country’s history, noting that Nigerians have consistently chosen their leaders through the ballot, have witnessed peaceful transitions of power, and have resolved disagreements through courtrooms and legislative chambers rather than violence.

Tinubu also called on the National Assembly, the judiciary, the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to continue serving as the guardrails of the republic.

To young Nigerians, the President urged them to remain committed to the country and contribute to its development.

“Nigeria is your home and your future. Build here, code here, work here, and vote here. Every great nation was built by those who stayed to solve problems, not by those who abandoned ship,” he said.

He commended members of the armed forces, police and intelligence agencies for their sacrifices and thanked traditional rulers, faith leaders and community heads for promoting peace and reconciliation across the country.

Tinubu also paid tribute to Nigerians who endured persecution, imprisonment, exile and even death in the struggle for democracy, including the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola and the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

He expressed confidence that despite all the challenges confronting the nation, Nigerians would continue to defend democracy and work together to build a united and prosperous country.

Tinubu announced that the Federal Government would confer national honours on several pro-democracy activists, journalists and political figures, including Ayoka Lawani, Tunde Fagbenle, Oladele Alake, Olatunji Bello, Louis Odion, Segun Babatope, Sam Omatseye, Ademola Osinubi, Bola Bolawole, Lade Bonuola, Femi Kusa, Debo Adeniran, Ayo Opadokun, Ralph Obiora, Ose Osayande, Osa Director, Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, Arthur Nwankwo (posthumous), Osagie Obayuwana, among others.

The president also recognised ex-military officers he described as “soldier-democrats” for their roles during the June 12 struggle. Among those listed were Major General M.A. Garba, Brigadier General Lawal Jaafaru Isa, Colonel Umar Farouk Ahmed, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, Colonel Lawan Gwadabe, Brigadier Jonathan Ndam Temlong, among others.

Meanwhile, INEC said it is fully prepared to conduct a free, fair, credible, and transparent governorship election in Ekiti State on June 20, 2026.

INEC chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, stated this in Ado-Ekiti during an election stakeholders’ meeting held ahead of the poll.

At the meeting, Amupitan announced the extension of the collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs) to June 14, saying only 80% of the newly registered voters have collected theirs so far.

He said the Commission’s preparations are anchored on transparency, accountability and strict adherence to constitutional provisions.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Ekiti State, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi, said non-sensitive election materials have already been received and properly secured in line with established procedures, while the deployment of sensitive materials is expected to commence next week.

The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, Michael Falade, restated that the command is committed to deploying maximum security to ensure a violence-free and credible poll.

The chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Ekiti state, Adeniji Aderopo, called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to embrace peace and political tolerance as the state prepares for the June 20 governorship election.

Also, Amupitan visited selected polling units in Ado-Ekiti and Ise/Orun Local Government Areas to monitor the Mock Accreditation Exercise, a key quality assurance process designed to assess the performance and reliability of election technology ahead of election day.

Speaking after observing the exercise, Prof. Amupitan expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), noting that the exercise demonstrated the Commission’s preparedness to conduct a smooth and efficient voter accreditation process.

He disclosed that Ekiti State has a total of 1,059,360 registered voters, who are expected to cast their ballots across 2,445 polling units, located in 117 wards and the 16 Local Government Areas of the state.

As part of preparations for the election, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the week inaugurated a 150-member National Campaign Council chaired by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state, with Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio as co-chairman and Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi Bamidele as secretary.

The council, comprised of serving and former governors, principal officers of the National Assembly and other eminent party leaders, is tasked with coordinating and driving APC campaign activities for the election.

On the other hand, the lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremor federal constituency of Bayelsa State, Hon. Fred Agbedi, emerged as the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives by consensus.

Agbedi, a member of the Taminu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) succeeded Hon. Kingsley Chinda who resigned from the position and the Nyesom Wike camp of the PDP after he won APC governorship primary election ahead of the 2027 polls.

Also, Hon. Manu Soro(APM, Bauchi) became Minority Whip while Hon. Abdulsammad Dasuki(ADC, Sokoto) emerged deputy minority leader through consensus, succeeding former holders of the offices – Hon. Ali Isa(Gombe), who left PDP and Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki (Kano), who resigned from NNPP to APC. This has put to rest weeks of tussle over minority leadership.