The European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub has described the ongoing Osun State governorship election as generally peaceful, orderly and inclusive, with impressive voter turnout recorded across polling units.
The observation hub, comprising the Centre for Media and Society, International Press Centre, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa, Yiaga Africa and the Kukah Centre, deployed 823 accredited observers across the 30 Local Government Areas of the state to monitor the electoral process.
Presenting the hub’s preliminary statement on Saturday, the Executive Director of the International Press Centre, Mr Lanre Arogundade, said the observers assessed the opening of polls, accreditation, voting, voter participation and the overall election environment.
According to the preliminary statement, the election is being conducted across 3,763 polling units, with 15 candidates sponsored by 15 political parties participating in the contest.
- READ ALSO: KDI Rates Bimodal Voter Accreditation 84.7%
It said Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters, out of which 1,906,390, representing 81.50 per cent, collected their Permanent Voter Cards and were eligible to vote.
The observers also reported substantial readiness at polling units, noting that officials with complete sensitive and non-sensitive election materials were present in 726 of the 823 polling units observed.
The observers also assessed the functionality and performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System as part of the accreditation process, alongside the availability of election personnel and materials.
The assessment further highlighted broad voter participation, particularly among women, Persons with Disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
The Observers reported that women accounted for about 59 per cent of voters in the polling units observed, while Persons with Disabilities constituted more than 70 per cent of voters in designated disability-focused polling units.
The hub also noted that women constituted 36 per cent of polling officials in the 12 designated Persons with Disabilities polling units observed, reflecting significant participation in the electoral process.
On election security, the observers reported an average deployment of three security personnel at the polling units observed and described their conduct as professional.
The hub said the security presence contributed to maintaining an orderly environment and facilitating the smooth conduct of voting across the areas covered by its observers.
The observers further reported that voter turnout was impressive, with the electoral environment generally calm across the polling units monitored.
The preliminary statement was based on reports from stationary and roving observers deployed across the state and covered the opening of polls, accreditation, voting and the wider election environment.
The hub said its observers would remain deployed to monitor the counting, collation and transmission of results and would issue a post-election report after the conclusion of the electoral process.
The observation hub also called on political parties, candidates and voters to refrain from circulating unverified results ahead of INEC’s pronouncements.
