A political group has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to strengthen safeguards ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election, raising concerns about 10 observations it noticed in the recent off-cycle elections across the country.
The Imole Campaign Council while addressing journalists in Osogbo, the Director-General of the Council, Senator Olalere Oyewumi said the concerns were informed by reports of the accredited election observers and the reviews conducted by the TICÇ election surveillance team.
The Council, which is the campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke said “the observations also included publicly available evidence and experiences shared by voters during recent elections.”
According to Oyewumi, the campaign council said it observed the alleged shortcomings during the 2026 Federal Capital Territory Area Council election, the Ekiti State governorship election and several bye-elections conducted in Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Rivers, Kano and Kebbi states, urging the INEC to ensure such issues do not recur, as Osun State prepares for governorship election on August 15.
He said; “The observations include: the deployment of insufficient ballot papers and other sensitive election materials, concerns over the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), alleged cases of already thumb-printed ballot papers, technical challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and reports of voting without PVCs.
“We are also concerned over reports that political parties without candidates allegedly appeared on ballot papers and result sheets in some recent elections, because such incidents could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
“Similarly, findings by election observer groups, including Yiaga Africa and the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room identified challenges such as vote buying, BVAS-related accreditation issues, lapses in results management and breaches of ballot secrecy in previous elections.”
Oyewumi therefore called for the deployment of additional BVAS machines and and adequate election personnel to polling units with large numbers of registered voters, arguing that this would reduce delays and minimise voters disenfranchisement.
Call for Investigation
Meanwhile, the Imole Campaign Council urged INEC and security agencies to investigate what it described as alleged claims by some stakeholders regarding the preloading of BVAS machines and the printing of extra result sheets ahead of the Osun governorship election.
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It further demanded transparency in the ongoing distribution of Permanent Voter Cards, insisting that all eligible voters, particularly those who registered or updated their records during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, should have unhindered access to collect their PVCs.
He said; “No voter should be denied the opportunity to participate in the election because of difficulties in obtaining a PVC.
“It should be on record that the purpose of the press conference is not to discredit the electoral commission but to encourage improvements that would enhance the credibility of the election.
“We therefore call on INEC to address the identified concerns before the election, just as we urge the security agencies to remain professional and neutral throughout the electoral process”.
Oyewumi consequently appealed to political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, saying the people of Osun deserve a free, fair, transparent and credible election that reflects the will of the electorates.
