Ekiti election: IReV uploads stall as 66 polling unit results remain missing

Despite the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially announcing the final results for the Ekiti State governorship election, the process of uploading results to the public viewing portal (IReV) is still incomplete. As of Sunday morning, uploads had stalled, leaving 66 polling unit results absent from the platform, which hosts results from 2,445 polling units across the state's 16 local government areas.

The delay in completing the IReV uploads has drawn attention, particularly given INEC's commitment to transparency and public access to election data. The portal was introduced to enhance transparency by allowing public viewing of scanned polling unit result sheets, although physical result sheets remain the legally recognized basis for collation.

During the statewide collation of results at INEC's headquarters in Ado-Ekiti, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ekiti State, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, explained the situation. She cited connectivity challenges as the primary reason affecting the transmission of some results to the IReV portal, which had been expected to commence collation after local government results were finalized.

The election featured 14 political parties, with incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking a second term. Other key contenders included candidates from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Labour Party (LP), and Accord Party. The outstanding 66 polling unit results on IReV are expected to remain a point of focus for stakeholders monitoring the electoral process.