Osun 2026: We’re fully prepared for credible governorship election – INEC Chairman

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, has assured stakeholders that the commission is fully prepared to conduct a credible, transparent and peaceful governorship election in Osun State on August 15, 2026.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Osun State Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Forum in Osogbo, Amupitan said INEC had completed all necessary logistical, technological and operational arrangements in line with the Electoral Act 2026 and the commission’s guidelines.

The forum was attended by political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, election observers and media representatives.

According to the INEC chairman, comprehensive readiness audits had been carried out across the commission’s 30 local government offices in the state.

He said, “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.”

Amupitan disclosed that the certified voter 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.

The INEC chairman also announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) had been extended to Friday, July 31, after 322,822 newly registered voters, representing 62 per cent, collected their cards before the initial deadline.

He explained that the extension was aimed at ensuring that no eligible voter was disenfranchised, adding that additional security personnel would be deployed to PVC collection centres.

Amupitan further stated that invalid and multiple registrations had been removed from the register through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), leaving only verified eligible voters.

On logistics, he said INEC had established 97 Super Registration Area Centres and 105 Registration Area Centres to facilitate early deployment of election materials. Transportation arrangements with transport unions, he noted, would be concluded before the election, while accreditation and voting are expected to commence by 8:30 a.m. in all polling units.
The INEC chairman revealed that 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 664 backup units, had been customised for the poll.

He stressed that biometric verification remains the only lawful means of accreditation and that manual accreditation would not be permitted. Polling unit results, he added, would be uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Addressing security concerns, Amupitan 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).

He noted that intelligence-led deployments would target identified flashpoints to prevent violence, ballot disruption and voter intimidation.

The INEC chairman also reassured residents following the theft of uncollected PVCs from INEC offices in Odo-Otin and Ife Central local government areas, saying the stolen cards could not be used to vote without successful biometric verification.

According to him, the affected PVCs would either be reprinted or replaced with downloadable versions for eligible voters.

On vote-buying, Amupitan disclosed that INEC was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and other relevant agencies to tackle both physical and electronic inducement of voters.

He warned that anyone attempting to compromise the electoral process would face the full weight of the law.

Also speaking at the forum, the National Commissioner supervising Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Ondo states, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, urged the media and civil society organisations to support INEC in ensuring a peaceful and successful election.

Ajayi said the commission had introduced safeguards such as the BVAS and IReV platforms to prevent manipulation of the electoral process.
He called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully and comply with electoral laws, while urging traditional rulers to continue promoting peace and encouraging the media to report the election professionally and without bias.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, welcomed stakeholders and appreciated their continued collaboration with the commission.

She disclosed that training of ad-hoc staff would hold from July 31 to August 9 across all local government areas, adding that election materials had arrived in the state and were being secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Babalola also said security agencies had concluded preparations to ensure that eligible voters cast their ballots in a peaceful, free and fair election.