WorldStage– Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has assured voters that the outcome of the August 15 Osun State Governorship Election will be determined by the ballot box and not violence, declaring that the Commission is fully prepared to conduct a free, credible and peaceful poll.
Speaking at an Expanded Stakeholders’ Meeting in Osogbo on Wednesday, Amupitan said INEC had completed a comprehensive readiness assessment across the state’s 30 Local Government Areas and was logistically, technologically and operationally ready for the election in line with the Electoral Act 2026.
“The ballot box, not the bullet, will decide Osun’s future,” the INEC Chairman declared, warning that the Commission would not allow intimidation or violence to undermine the will of the electorate.
He disclosed that 2,339,233 registered voters are expected to participate in the election across 332 Registration Areas and 3,763 Polling Units, with 14 political parties fielding candidates.
To enable more voters to participate, Amupitan announced the extension of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise to Friday, July 31, following the collection of 322,822 PVCs, representing about 60 percent of newly registered voters, as of Tuesday.
He added that INEC would work with security agencies to provide patrol vehicles at PVC collection centres to safeguard the process and encourage eligible voters to collect their cards.
On election technology, the INEC Chairman said the Commission had deployed 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, including 1,328 backup units, while a mock accreditation exercise has been scheduled for August 1 across selected Local Government Areas to test the readiness of the technology ahead of the poll.
Amupitan said voting would commence at 8:30 a.m. on election day, noting that Registration Area Centres (RACs) would open on August 14 to facilitate the deployment of personnel and election materials. He warned that Electoral Officers would be held accountable for any failure to commence accreditation on schedule.
On security, he said INEC had activated its Electoral Risk Management framework in collaboration with security agencies and development partners to identify potential flashpoints and ensure adequate deployment of security personnel across vulnerable locations.
The Chairman also confirmed recent attacks on INEC offices in Odo Otin and Ife Centre, where uncollected PVCs were stolen, but assured voters that the cards had been rendered useless because they could not be used without biometric verification on the BVAS. He said affected voters would receive reprinted or downloadable PVCs.
Amupitan said the Commission had also made provisions for inclusive participation, including braille ballot guides for visually impaired voters, magnifying glasses for persons with low vision and priority voting arrangements for persons with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers and the elderly.
To curb vote-buying, he said INEC was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to monitor illicit financial transactions around polling units, including digital transfers.
He also announced that the 14 political parties participating in the election would sign a Peace Accord on July 30 under the auspices of the National Peace Committee and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin O. Babalola, said the Commission had completed 11 of the 13 activities on its election timetable, with only the conclusion of campaigns and the conduct of the election outstanding.
She disclosed that both sensitive and non-sensitive election materials had arrived in the state, while voter registers had been printed and distributed. According to her, training of ad hoc personnel will commence from July 31 to August 9, while all Registration Area Centres have been fully prepared for election operations.
Babalola also said accreditation of journalists would close on August 2, adding that security agencies had assured the Commission of adequate protection for the election.
Also speaking, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Tunji Disu, assured residents that security agencies would remain neutral and professional throughout the election.He warned politicians and their supporters against vote-buying and other electoral offences, stressing that anyone found violating the Electoral Act would be arrested and prosecuted, irrespective of status or political affiliation.
