The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured the people of its readiness for August 15 Osun State governorship election, saying it has tested its accreditation systems and addressed potential technical challenges ahead of the poll.
The commission said 2,038,039 voters are registered for the election, with more than 1.8 million having collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Fifteen candidates are contesting the election, including the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking a second term.
INEC’s Head of Department, Voter Education, Publicity, Gender and Inclusivity, Mr Rufus Ariyo, said the commission had intensified voter sensitisation across the state, targeting youths, women, persons with disabilities, trade-based organisations and other grassroots groups.
He urged eligible voters to turn out peacefully and exercise their franchise, saying various groups had assured the commission of their readiness to participate in the poll.
A key feature of the election will be the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation.
- ALSO READ: Osun Poll: INEC Deploys BVAS to Curb Rigging
Ariyo said; “manual accreditation would not be permitted, explaining that voters would be electronically accredited through BVAS using facial recognition or fingerprints.”
He said the system would also help prevent multiple voting because the number of votes recorded at a polling unit could not exceed the number of accredited voters transmitted from the unit.
The official clarified that BVAS does not constitute electronic voting, stressing that Nigeria currently uses electronic accreditation rather than electronic voting.
He further said that INEC’s electronic ECV system would complement the manual election documentation process and help reduce errors by providing information on registered and accredited voters.
According to him, the system would enable election officials to identify discrepancies and correct errors recorded manually.
Ariyo said; “the commission had taken steps to prevent a recurrence of the technical challenges experienced during accreditation in the Ekiti governorship election.”
He said INEC conducted a mock accreditation exercise about two weeks before the Osun poll to test its systems and identify potential challenges.
According to him, an error detected during the exercise was immediately corrected, boosting the commission’s confidence in its preparedness for Saturday’s election.
Ariyo also assured Muslim women who wear the hijab that they would not be disenfranchised, saying female election officials would assist them with ‘biometric verification where necessary.’
“I want to tell every voter in Osun to come out en masse on Saturday, to come out and elect their own leader by themselves. They should not allow just a handful to determine their destiny,” he said.
 has assured the people of its readiness for August 15 Osun State governorship election){kind=link}