Professor Joash Ojo Amupita, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has informed stakeholders that the commission is logistically, technically, and operationally prepared to conduct a credible governorship election in Osun State on August 15, 2026.
He noted that INEC will conduct a credible election in accordance with the Electoral Act of 2026 and its existing laws and guidelines.
Amupitan made the pledge on Wednesday while speaking to political parties, security agencies, civil society organisations, traditional rulers, poll observers, and media representatives at the Osun State Governorship poll Stakeholders’ Forum in Osogbo.
He described the gathering as an accountability platform for the commission to present its operational readiness ahead of the poll. He stated that comprehensive readiness audits had been completed across the state’s 30 local government area offices, and 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 added.
The INEC chairman revealed that the certified register for the election included 2,339,233 registered voters from 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas, and 3,763 polling units, with 14 political parties competing in the governorship fight.
He announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) had been extended to Friday, July 31, after 322,822 newly registered voters, or 62%, collected their cards before the earlier deadline.
According to him, “the commission adopted the extension to ensure that no qualified voter was disenfranchised, while extra security would be deployed around PVC collection centers. The Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) had deleted invalid and multiple registrations, leaving the record with just verified qualified voters.
“INEC had improved 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.”
The INEC chairman also spoke about the commission’s technological preparations, disclosing that 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, devices, including 664 backup units, had been modified for the poll.
He emphasised that biometric verification remained the only legal method of accreditation and that there would be no manual accreditation, with polling unit results being uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV.
Addressing security concerns, Amupitan stated that INEC had incorporated an Electoral Risk Management framework into its planning and was collaborating closely with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), noting that intelligence-led deployments would target 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 governments, stating that stolen cards could not be used to vote without successful biometric verification, and that affected PVCs would be reprinted or replaced with downloadable versions for qualified voters.
Regarding vote-buying, Amupitan stated that the commission had collaborated 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 inducement of voters, warning that anyone attempting to undermine the electoral process would face the full weight of the law.
Speaking during the forum, Professor Kunle Ajayi, the National Commissioner for Oyo, Osun, Ogun, and Ondo States, urged the media and civil society organisations to work with INEC to guarantee a peaceful and successful election.
He stated that the commission has implemented safeguards to avoid electoral manipulation, including the BVAS and IReV platforms.
Ajayi asked political parties, candidates, and supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully and in accordance with electoral regulations, as well as traditional rulers to continue fostering peace and urging the media to report the election objectively and professionally.