The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has commended voters in Osun State for their peaceful participation in Saturday’s governorship election, while calling for urgent reforms to address vote buying, biometric challenges and other weaknesses observed during the exercise.
The group made the assessment in its final statement issued on Monday and jointly signed by its Convener, Yunusa Ya’u, and Co-convener, Mma Odi. The statement was presented at a news conference in Abuja.
The Situation Room said it deployed accredited observers across all 30 Local Government Areas of the state, with reports complemented by citizen observations and information from partner organisations through the Election Accountability Tracker application.
It said the CLEEN Foundation, Centre for Democracy and Development and Kimpact Development Initiative deployed more than 300 accredited observers for the election.
According to the group, election officials and materials arrived at most polling units observed between 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., while voting commenced in 87 per cent of the locations monitored.
It, however, said some polling units experienced delays, partly due to the late reproduction and distribution of sensitive materials following the addition of the Social Democratic Party candidate to the ballot.
The civil society coalition said election officials generally adhered to established accreditation and voting procedures, helping to ensure an orderly process across most polling units.
The Situation Room said INEC recorded 2,339,233 registered voters, of whom 1,906,390 collected their Permanent Voter Cards, representing 81.50 per cent. It added that 1,005,800 votes were eventually cast, translating to approximately 43.2 per cent voter turnout.
BVAS Challenges
Despite the generally peaceful conduct of the election, the group raised concerns over technical difficulties involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
It said some BVAS devices experienced delays in recognising elderly voters, while fingerprint authentication problems forced officials to rely on facial verification in some polling units.
The challenges were reported in Ila, Irepodun, Ayedaade and Irewole Local Government Areas.
The Situation Room urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to address recurring biometric authentication problems before the 2027 general elections, particularly to minimise delays and ensure eligible voters are not disenfranchised.
The group also reported substantial progress in the electronic transmission of polling-unit results, saying 98.43 per cent of results had been uploaded to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal as of August 16.
Vote Buying Remains Concern
The Situation Room commended security agencies for maintaining a generally peaceful environment despite the tense atmosphere ahead of the election.
It nevertheless reported isolated cases of harassment, thuggery and vote buying in some polling locations.
The group described voter inducement as a serious threat to electoral integrity, warning that vote buying undermines citizens’ freedom to make independent choices at the ballot box.
It called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission with the authority to investigate and prosecute electoral violations.
The coalition also urged security agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to strengthen mechanisms for preventing, investigating and prosecuting electoral offences.
Accessibility Gaps
The observers further identified accessibility challenges affecting voters and election officials.
According to the group, some polling units were located near gutters and staircases, while disability-inclusive facilities and resources were inadequate.
It also reported shortages of chairs and tables for election officials in some locations and said Form EC40H, used to record voters with disabilities, was unavailable at some polling units.
The Situation Room urged INEC to conduct a comprehensive post-election audit covering logistics, BVAS performance, results transmission, security, accessibility and complaints.
It said the lessons from the Osun election should inform preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The group called on political parties, the judiciary, INEC, security agencies, the media and civil society organisations to work together to strengthen electoral credibility, transparency, accountability and public confidence.
“Citizens’ strong participation and vigilance contributed significantly to the peaceful Osun election. However, vote buying, electoral violence and pre-election killings remain major threats requiring urgent attention,” the Situation Room said.
