INEC extends deadline for submission of nominations for state elections to 11 August

Election observer group Yiaga Africa has praised the vigilance of voters in Osun State during Saturday's governorship election, calling it the most effective deterrent to result manipulation. The group highlighted that citizens remained at polling units and monitored the collation of results to ensure accuracy. According to Yiaga Africa’s Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) statement, its statistical estimates aligned closely with the official results published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). This suggests that the final figures reflected the actual votes recorded at polling stations. Dr Asmau Maikudi, chairperson of the Osun Election Observation Mission, stated that Yiaga Africa deployed 300 observers and 32 mobile teams across the 30 local government areas. The organization based its findings on reports from 289 of the 300 sampled polling units. She emphasized that the August 15 poll served as a critical test of the Electoral Act 2026, demonstrating how collaboration among institutions, technology, and citizens can enhance electoral integrity. Maikudi acknowledged the challenging environment surrounding the election, which included attacks on PVC collection centers, politically motivated violence, disputes over motor parks, and inflammatory rhetoric. Despite these factors, she noted that a 43% turnout was achieved, underscoring the determination of voters. “This turnout is not a sign of apathy but of citizens who refused to be intimidated,” she remarked. Voters also stayed at polling units to observe the sorting, counting, and announcement of results, and followed these through to ward and local government collation centers, ensuring transparency. Improvements in election-day logistics were also reported. Approximately 96% of polling units opened for accreditation and voting by 9:30 am, even though INEC had to reprint ballots due to a last-minute court order to include the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Francis Ajala. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System functioned in 80% of polling units, with the remaining 20% experiencing technical issues. Downloadable Permanent Voter Cards, introduced under the Electoral Act 2026, were utilized in 23% of polling units. Transparency at the counting stage was largely maintained, with 99% of polling units displaying how ballots were marked, 91% publishing results publicly, and 85% transmitting EC8A forms to IReV. Yiaga Africa recommended several measures to improve future elections, including binding INEC guidelines on downloadable PVCs, a technical audit of the BVAS system, publication of the causes of biometric failures, enhanced training for ad hoc staff, and stricter enforcement against vote buying by relevant agencies. Separately, Yiaga Africa expressed concerns over the late movement of election materials, which posed potential risks to the conduct of the poll. The organization warned that the delayed arrival of revised ballot papers and result sheets disrupted INEC’s logistics plan and could lead to materials being transported at night in a tense security environment. Executive Director Samson Itodo urged security agencies to provide additional protection for election materials and personnel during transit. The chairperson of the Osun Election Observation Mission, Asmau Maikudi, stressed that the election would serve as a crucial test of INEC’s operational readiness, the neutrality of security agencies, and the conduct of political actors. She noted that the election would offer an opportunity to evaluate the implementation of new provisions under the Electoral Act 2026, such as the use of downloadable PVCs and adherence to electronic EC8A protocols. While preparations had progressed significantly, she cautioned that readiness must be measured by actual performance on election day. She emphasized the need for INEC to remain vigilant and address potential points of failure, especially related to logistics, technology, and results management.