Amupitan also highlighted INEC’s technological readiness by disclosing that 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 664 backup units, had been customised for the election
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has promised that the electoral body will conduct a credible governorship election in Osun State on August 15, 2026.
He gave the assurance on Wednesday at the Osun State Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Forum held in Osogbo, the state capital, while addressing participants that the commission is logistically, technically, and operationally ready.
Those present at the briefing included political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, election observers, and media representatives.
According to Amupitan, INEC is ready to deliver a free and fair election in line with the Electoral Act 2026 and its established regulations and guidelines.
He further described the gathering as an accountability platform where the commission presented its operational readiness ahead of the poll. He noted that comprehensive readiness audits had been completed across the state’s 30 local government area offices, adding that the commission was fully prepared to conduct a transparent electoral process.
“Following comprehensive readiness audits across our 30 Local Government Area offices, I am here to assure you that the Commission is logistically, technologically, and operationally prepared to deliver an election that fully satisfies the standards of the Electoral Act 2026,” he said.
Amupitan also revealed that the certified register for the election contained 2,339,233 registered voters across 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas, and 3,763 polling units, while 14 political parties would participate in the governorship contest.
He announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) had been extended until Friday, July 31, after 322,822 newly registered voters—representing 62 per cent—collected their cards before the earlier deadline.
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According to him, “the commission adopted the extension to ensure that no eligible voter was disenfranchised, while additional security would be deployed around PVC collection centres.” Invalid and multiple registrations had been removed through the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), leaving only verified, eligible voters on the register.
He added that INEC had strengthened its logistics by establishing 97 Super Registration Area Centres and 105 Registration Area Centres to facilitate the early deployment of election materials.
Transportation agreements with transport unions would be fully concluded before the election, while all polling units were expected to commence accreditation and voting by 8.30 a.m.
He also highlighted the commission’s technological preparations, disclosing that 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 664 backup units, had been customised for the election.
The INEC boss stressed that biometric verification remained the only legal means of accreditation and that there would be no manual accreditation, while polling unit results would be uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
Addressing security concerns, Amupitan said INEC had integrated an Electoral Risk Management framework into its planning and was working closely with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). He noted that intelligence-led deployments would focus on identified flashpoints to prevent violence, ballot disruption, and voter intimidation.
The chairman also reassured residents following the theft of uncollected PVCs from INEC offices in Odo-Otin and Ife Central local government areas, stating that stolen cards could not be used to vote without successful biometric verification. He added that affected PVCs would either be reprinted or replaced with downloadable versions for eligible voters.
On vote-buying, Amupitan disclosed that the commission had partnered with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and other relevant agencies to combat both physical and electronic inducements of voters, warning that anyone attempting to compromise the electoral process would face the full weight of the law.
