Yiaga Africa commends Osun voters’ resilience, seeks BVAS improvement

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— Calls for stronger security, action against vote buying

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By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

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Election observation organisation, Yiaga Africa, has commended voters in Osun State for their resilience during the governorship election held on Saturday.

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The organisation also praised residents who not only participated in the election but remained at polling units to protect their votes and the integrity of the ballot.

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Addressing journalists during the presentation of its post-election report at Adolak Hotel, Osogbo, the Chairperson of Yiaga Africa, Dr Asmau Maikudi, alongside the Executive Director, Samson Itodo, said the election demonstrated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could meet high operational standards when adequately resourced and closely monitored.

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Maikudi said the election also showed that INEC could implement the Electoral Act 2026 and transmit results transparently under favourable operational conditions.

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She, however, challenged the electoral body to replicate the experience across the 176,000 polling units in the 36 states during the 2027 general elections, noting that a nationwide election would not enjoy the same concentration of resources and attention as a single-state poll.

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“Osun demonstrates that INEC can meet a high operational standard, apply the Electoral Act 2026 and transmit results transparently when the election is well resourced and closely watched.

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“That performance now has to be reproduced across 176,000 polling units and 36 states in 2027, without the concentration of attention and resources a single-state election attracts,” she said.

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According to her, INEC should convert lessons from the Osun election into institutional standards ahead of the 2027 elections.

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She called for improved quality assurance for sensitive election materials, resolution of inconsistencies in voter data, standardisation of the implementation of downloadable Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and other provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.

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Maikudi also urged INEC to strengthen the resilience and transparency of the Election Result Viewing (IReV) portal and institutionalise prompt public communication whenever technological or operational challenges occur.

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On challenges recorded during Saturday’s election, particularly vote buying, security and glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), she recommended a number of measures.

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“INEC should issue binding, uniform guidance to presiding officers on the acceptance of downloadable PVCs and usage for voter accreditation.

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“INEC should conduct a comprehensive post-election technical audit of the BVAS devices to identify the causes of the failures and strengthen device testing, maintenance and rapid technical support to minimise disruptions to voter accreditation ahead of the 2027 general elections,” she said.

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She further urged INEC to publish the causes of biometric authentication failures recorded during accreditation and outline remedial measures to be adopted ahead of the 2027 elections.

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On security, Maikudi called for a review of the deployment strategy ahead of the general elections.

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“Security should review their deployment ahead of the 2027 general election by ensuring the joint deployment of security officials with the polling officials and election materials from the RACs to the polling units on election day,” she said.

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She also urged security agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to extend enforcement beyond polling units to surrounding areas where vote inducement allegedly takes place.

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According to her, offenders, including party financiers and agents, should be arrested and prosecuted where evidence establishes wrongdoing.

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Maikudi also tasked political parties with investing in systematic training for their polling agents ahead of the 2027 general elections.

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“Political parties should deepen their commitment to democratic values by investing in the systematic training of their polling agents on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines and voter education ahead of the 2027 general elections,” she said.

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