Yiaga Africa has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to build on the lessons from the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation said the Osun election demonstrated that INEC could achieve a high operational standard and effectively implement the Electoral Act 2026 when adequately resourced and subjected to close monitoring.
The civil society organisation made the observation at a press briefing held at Adolak Event Centre, Osogbo, where it presented its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) statement on the election.
Yiaga Africa, however, noted that the major challenge would be replicating the gains recorded in Osun across the more than 176,000 polling units in the 36 states during the 2027 general elections.
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In its recommendations, the organisation urged INEC to strengthen quality assurance mechanisms for sensitive election materials, resolve inconsistencies in voter data and standardise the implementation of downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
It also called on the commission to improve the resilience and transparency of the Results Viewing Portal (IReV) to enhance public confidence in the electronic transmission and viewing of election results.
Yiaga Africa further recommended a comprehensive technical audit of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices and urged INEC to publish the causes of biometric authentication failures recorded during the Osun election.
The organisation also stressed the need for improved training and supervision of ad hoc election officials to ensure consistent application of electoral procedures across polling units.
On security, Yiaga Africa called on security agencies to strengthen enforcement against vote buying and electoral violence and review their deployment arrangements ahead of the 2027 elections.
It specifically urged the Nigeria Police Force to publish a report on its Osun election deployment, including the number of arrests made and plans for prosecution, particularly in relation to incidents of violence recorded during the pre-election period.
The organisation also called on security agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to extend enforcement measures against voter inducement beyond polling-unit precincts.
Yiaga Africa said it would release a comprehensive report containing additional data and recommendations as it begins preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation’s 2026 Osun Election Observation Mission was chaired by Dr Asmau Maikudi, while its Executive Director is Samson Itodo.
According to Yiaga Africa, sustained institutional learning, adequate resourcing, effective monitoring and stronger enforcement will be critical to consolidating the gains recorded in Osun and ensuring credible elections in 2027.
