EKITI 2026 GUBER POLL: YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT
The Right to Vote and Take Part in Public Affairs
By Ekiti Summit News
On Saturday, June 20, the people of Ekiti State will once again exercise one of the most fundamental rights guaranteed in a democratic society—the right to participate in government through the ballot box.
Democracy thrives when citizens actively engage in the process of choosing those who will govern them. Elections are not merely political events; they are opportunities for the people to shape their collective future, hold leaders accountable, and reaffirm the principle that political power ultimately belongs to the people.
As Ekiti voters prepare to cast their ballots in the 2026 Governorship Election, it is important to remember that every vote counts. The strength of democracy lies not in the voices of a few, but in the participation of many. Every eligible voter therefore has a civic responsibility to come out peacefully, exercise their franchise, and vote according to their conscience.
Citizens should carefully assess the candidates, their records, their vision, and the programmes of their respective political parties. Voters must be guided by issues, competence, character, and commitment to the welfare of the people rather than by sentiments, inducements, or pressure from any quarters.
Equally important is the need to reject all forms of electoral malpractice. Vote-buying, voter intimidation, ballot snatching, violence, misinformation, and other illegal practices undermine the integrity of elections and weaken public confidence in democratic institutions. No amount of money or material inducement can compensate for the long-term consequences of electing leaders through compromised processes.
The future of Ekiti State is far more valuable than any temporary reward offered in exchange for a vote. Citizens must therefore resist attempts to influence their choices through financial inducement or coercion. The ballot remains the most powerful instrument for peaceful change, and it should be used responsibly and freely.
Political parties, candidates, security agencies, election officials, civil society groups, and the media also have important roles to play in ensuring that the election is peaceful, credible, transparent, and acceptable to all stakeholders. Democracy flourishes when competition is conducted within the framework of law, fairness, and mutual respect.
As Ekiti State stands at another important democratic crossroads, let us demonstrate the values for which our people are known: integrity, enlightenment, courage, and commitment to the common good. Let us participate peacefully, vote wisely, respect the outcome of a credible process, and continue to strengthen democratic governance in our state.
Here at the Ekiti Summit News Media, it is of the highest importance that people be able to express themselves, and reason, in freedom. Our attitudes toward politics, economy, democracy and development, and issues of the day can all be seen in the light of this belief.
Nothing, perhaps, expresses our values as clearly as a poem in Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore, the 1913 Nobel Prize winner for Literature and first non-European to be so honoured:
Where the mind is without fear
and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been
broken up into fragments
by narrow domestic walls; …
Where the clear stream of reason
has not lost its way into the
dreary desert sand of dead habit; …
Into that heaven of freedom,
my Father, let my country awake.
Ekiti Summit News Media
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