The Inter-Party Advisory Council in Ekiti State has announced a plan to challenge in court the purported plan of the state government to deploy state-owned security outfits for election duty on June 20.
The IPAC State Chairman, Phillip Adeniji, said the council had resolved to seek a court injunction to avert a situation where the unexpected would happen.
Adeniji said in a chat with The in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday that: “As it stands, we have concluded plans to sue the state government and the Independent National Electoral Commission because we have information on the likelihood of an attempt to use personnel of state-owned security outfits such as Amotekun, anti-grazing units and the traffic management agency for election duty.
“We want to obtain a court injunction to ensure that unconventional security outfits do not participate in the election so that members of the public will not be harassed or coerced during the election.”
According to him, to that effect, IPAC lawyers had on June 3 written a letter titled, ‘Notice of intention to challenge the proposed inclusion of Ekiti State-owned security agencies in conduct of forthcoming 2026 Ekiti State governorship election on June 20’ to the necessary parties.
“On the part of IPAC, we have come together to go to court to seek that injunction, and by God’s grace, it will be granted next week.
“If people are not harassed or intimidated, if they are allowed to vote according to their conscience and there is no vote-buying, voting will be transparent, acceptable and credible,” he said.
The IPAC chairman said the council, in a bid to prevent vote-trading, “is reaching out to members of different political parties and platforms, educating them on the negative impact of vote-buying in producing the wrong candidates.
“The essence is that when people are aware of the negative effect, the likelihood of averting such practices will be very high. Parties are on their toes to minimise vote-buying.
“My message to Ekiti people is to come out in their numbers during the election, cast their votes and ensure they protect their votes to make sure everything is well collated, so that the result will be acceptable to all. This election must reflect the interests of the masses,” he said.