The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to prioritise transparency and operational readiness ahead of the Osun State governorship election. In a pre-election statement delivered at a press conference on Friday, the observation mission outlined a series of recommendations targeting the electoral body, political actors, security agencies, the media and voters.
Speaking on behalf of the EU-SDGN EOH, Jake Epelle of TAF Africa and Brenda Anugwom, chief executive of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, urged the commission to distribute sensitive materials to all polling units in time for accreditation and voting to commence at 8:30 am. They stressed the need for seamless electronic transmission of validated results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal in real time, backed by adequate contingency capacity for the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.
The observers demanded publication of a clear protocol covering the end-to-end results transmission process, including the function of the electronic EC8A form and the backend validation stage before results appear on IReV. They further insisted that Ward-level EC8B and Local Government-level EC8C collation sheets be uploaded to the portal alongside polling unit results to allow citizens, parties and observers to verify outcomes at every stage.
Timely and transparent announcement of results from polling units through registration areas and local government centres to the state collation centre was also highlighted. The mission called for deployment of trained personnel and sufficient assistive voting devices to guarantee priority voting for women, youths, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
On political conduct, the EU-SDGN EOH appealed to parties and candidates to honour the Peace Accord and accept the outcome as declared by INEC. Grievances, they said, must be pursued through lawful and judicial channels rather than protests, violence or self-help. Vote-buying, voter intimidation and the use of political thugs were explicitly condemned.
Security agencies were urged to maintain neutrality and professionalism, deploy adequately to critical and high-risk areas, and secure transport routes, polling units and collation centres in advance. Stronger coordination through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security was recommended, with rapid and impartial response to electoral violence, harassment and disruptions. Public disclosure of progress on pending investigations — including arrests, charges and court dates — was demanded to strengthen deterrence and signal that impunity will not be tolerated.
The media was advised to verify information before publication, avoid amplifying false narratives and refrain from broadcasting unofficial results until formally declared by INEC at the appropriate collation level. Voters were encouraged to arrive early, vote freely and independently, reject inducements and report malpractice to INEC officials, security agents or accredited observers.
The observation hub stated that its recommendations aim to support a free, fair, peaceful and credible governorship election, urging all stakeholders to uphold their responsibilities throughout the voting, collation and declaration processes.
