CSOs commend Osun voters, call for electoral reforms
Civil society groups have commended Osun voters for peaceful participation in Saturday’s election, while urging INEC to address BVAS challenges and establish an Electoral Offences Commission.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has commended Osun voters for their peaceful participation in Saturday’s governorship election. The Situation Room made this known in its final statement issued on Monday and jointly signed by its Convener, Yunusa Ya’u, and Co-convener, Mma Odi. The statement was read at a news conference in Abuja.
It said it deployed accredited observers across all 30 Local Government Areas, combining their reports with citizen observations and reports from partner organisations through the Election Accountability Tracker application. The group said election officials and materials arrived between 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in most polling units observed. Voting commenced in 87 per cent of polling units observed, although some locations experienced delays due to logistical challenges.
The Situation Room expressed concern over technical difficulties involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, especially at polling units with large numbers of registered voters. Some BVAS devices experienced delays recognising elderly voters, while fingerprint authentication difficulties required facial verification in some locations. BVAS challenges were recorded in Ila, Irepodun, Ayedaade and Irewole Local Government Areas.
The group said uploading of polling-unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal progressed significantly, with 98.43 per cent uploaded as of Aug. 16. It commended security agencies for maintaining a generally peaceful environment in spite of the tense atmosphere preceding the election. However, it reported isolated incidents of harassment, thuggery and vote buying in some polling locations.
The Situation Room called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to investigate and prosecute such offences and deter future violations. It urged security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to strengthen mechanisms for preventing, investigating and prosecuting electoral offences.
The organisation identified accessibility concerns, including polling units located near gutters and staircases, as well as limited disability-inclusive resources. It called on INEC to conduct a comprehensive post-election audit covering logistics, BVAS, results transmission, security, accessibility and complaints ahead of the 2027 elections.
The winners: Osun voters, who have been commended for their peaceful participation; and the civil society organisations, which have raised important issues for electoral reform. The losers: INEC, which faces criticism over BVAS challenges; and the Nigerian electoral process, which continues to struggle with vote buying and accessibility issues.
Bottom Line: CSOs have commended Osun voters and called for electoral reforms. The question is whether INEC will learn from the experience or repeat the same mistakes in 2027.