European Union monitors have flagged serious concerns about the conduct of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, pointing to late starts, technical failures with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, and logistical shortfalls that could undermine the credibility of the process.
The EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub deployed 823 accredited observers across all 30 local government areas to track the exercise from the opening of polling units to the transmission of results. Speaking in Osogbo, Lanre Arogundade, executive director of the International Press Centre, said the team scrutinized everything from the availability of election materials to voter turnout, the participation of women and persons with disabilities, and security arrangements.
The hub’s preliminary statement revealed that while polling officials arrived with a full complement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials in 726 of the 823 units under observation, voting in several locations did not start on time. The delays, coupled with reported malfunctions in the BVAS used for voter verification, have prompted an urgent call for the Independent National Electoral Commission to step in.
“We urge INEC to deploy personnel and materials to any polling unit where voting had not commenced by noon,” the hub said, adding that the commission should consider rescheduling the exercise in areas where voting could not start within the required timeframe.
Technical problems with BVAS were singled out as a major headache, with observers demanding immediate intervention in units where the glitches were slowing down accreditation and pushing back the voting schedule.
The monitors also voiced deep concern for vulnerable voters, particularly the elderly, pregnant women, and those with disabilities. They called on authorities to guarantee that these citizens can cast their ballots safely, conveniently, and with dignity.
On security, the hub urged a delicate balance. “Security personnel should maintain a visible but restrained presence at polling units and collation centres and avoid any perception of heavy-handedness,” the statement read. It also pressed security agencies to zero in on high-risk areas and ensure the safe movement of election officials and materials from polling units to collation centres.
Political parties and candidates were not spared scrutiny. The hub warned them to keep their agents focused on lawful observation rather than intimidation or vote trading, and explicitly told contestants to “abstain from vote buying and discourage polling agents and supporters from vote trading at the polling units.”
The EU observers also cautioned against any attempts to undermine the post-election process through unofficial result announcements. They urged the media to hold off on declaring winners until INEC makes an official pronouncement and to lean on real-time fact-checking during counting and collation to counter the spread of misinformation.
The hub’s work is far from over. Its observers will continue to monitor the counting, collation, and transmission of results through the Registration Area, Local Government, and State Collation Centre levels, with a comprehensive post-election report expected after the official declaration.
In the meantime, the EU-SDGN EOH called on all parties and candidates to stay calm and channel any grievances through lawful and judicial means, in line with the Peace Accord signed on July 30, 2026. The hub described the Osun contest as “a critical test of the new electoral legal framework and a bellwether for the 2027 General Election.”
