The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared its readiness to conduct a credible, transparent and peaceful governorship election in Osun State on August 15, 2026, assuring stakeholders that all logistical, technological and operational arrangements have been completed.
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, gave the assurance on Wednesday during the Osun State Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Forum held in Osogbo. The forum brought together political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, election observers and media representatives.
Amupitan described the meeting as an accountability platform where the commission presented its preparedness ahead of the election, noting that comprehensive readiness audits had been completed across all 30 local government area offices in the state.
“Following comprehensive readiness audits across our 30 Local Government Area offices, I am here to assure you that the Commission is logistically, technologically and operationally prepared to deliver an election that fully satisfies the standards of the Electoral Act 2026,” he said.
According to the INEC chairman, the certified register for the election contains 2,339,233 registered voters spread across 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units. He added that 14 political parties would participate in the governorship contest.
Amupitan also announced the extension of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection until Friday, July 31, to allow more eligible voters obtain their cards. He disclosed that 322,822 newly registered voters, representing 62 per cent of registrants, had already collected their PVCs before the initial deadline.
He explained that the extension was aimed at preventing voter disenfranchisement and assured residents that additional security measures had been put in place around PVC collection centres. He further stated that invalid and multiple registrations had been removed from the register through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS).
On logistics, the INEC chairman said the commission had established 97 Super Registration Area Centres and 105 Registration Area Centres to facilitate early deployment of election materials, while transportation arrangements with transport unions would be finalised before election day. He added that accreditation and voting would commence at 8:30 a.m. in all polling units.
Amupitan revealed that 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 664 backup units, had been customised for the election. He stressed that biometric verification remains the only lawful means of voter accreditation and that manual accreditation would not be permitted. He also reiterated that polling unit results would be uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Addressing security concerns, the INEC chairman said the commission had incorporated an Electoral Risk Management framework into its preparations and was working closely with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure intelligence-led deployments in identified flashpoints.
Reacting to the recent theft of uncollected PVCs from INEC offices in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas, Amupitan assured residents that stolen cards could not be used without successful biometric verification. He added that affected PVCs would either be reprinted or replaced with downloadable versions for eligible voters.
He also disclosed that INEC had partnered with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other agencies to tackle vote-buying and voter inducement, warning that offenders would face prosecution.
Speaking at the forum, the National Commissioner supervising Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ondo states, Professor Kunle Ajayi, urged political parties, candidates, civil society organisations and the media to support efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful election.
Ajayi said the commission had introduced safeguards such as BVAS and the IReV platform to strengthen transparency and prevent electoral manipulation. He also called on political actors to obey electoral laws and conduct issue-based campaigns.
Earlier, Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, said ad-hoc staff training would hold between July 31 and August 9 across all local government areas. She added that election materials had already arrived in the state and were being secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria, while security agencies had completed preparations to guarantee a peaceful, free and fair poll.
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