NGO cautions Ekiti voters against vote-buying ahead of governorship poll

A non-governmental organisation, Kids and Teen Resource Centre, has stepped up grassroots voter education in Ekiti State as the June 20 governorship election approaches, with a strong focus on discouraging vote-buying.

A contact person for the group, Gbenga Adesunloro, said in a statement on Tuesday that the organisation is working to point out the dangers of vote-buying and selling during elections.

Adesunloro, who is a strategic knowledge management specialist with the centre, spoke about a 10-day mobilisation exercise carried out by the group in Ekiti West Local Government Area in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He explained that the grassroots voter education initiative is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen democratic participation and ensure informed, violence-free elections in the state.

The exercise covered communities including Aramoko, Erijinyan, Erio, Ipole, Okemesi, and Ikogosi, reaching over 1,600 residents through community sensitisation campaigns. Those engaged included market women, transport workers, artisans, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and security agencies.

Adesunloro praised residents and traders at Aramoko Market, where more than 600 people took part in open voter education sessions. He noted that the initiative also secured the backing of traditional institutions, leading to a stakeholders’ meeting attended by over 80 chiefs and community leaders from 18 communities in Aramoko Kingdom. Participants at the meeting pledged to mobilise residents for peaceful elections.

He added that the campaign used a volunteer who spoke Hausa to reach the Hausa-speaking community in the local government. In addition to community engagements, the organisation extended its sensitisation to radio programmes to reach a wider audience across the state.

The Kids and Teen Resource Centre is a Nigerian NGO focused on empowering young people through health, education, and rights advocacy.