The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub (EU-SDGN EOH) has raised concerns over security threats, vote-buying, disinformation and transparency in the electronic transmission of results ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
The EU-SDGN EOH, comprising six Nigerian civil society organisations, said it had deployed 843 observers across Osun State to monitor the election scheduled for August 15, 2026.
The Hub, in its pre-election statement issued on Friday, described the electoral environment as highly competitive and tense, citing political rivalry, unresolved disputes over Local Government administration, security concerns and operational challenges.
The observers identified vote buying and voter inducement as the highest threat to the credibility of the election, saying reports of financial and material inducements had circulated in the run-up to the poll.
It urged relevant agencies to take decisive, evidence-based action against those involved in vote buying, including arrest, investigation and prosecution, to serve as a deterrent.
The Hub classified Osun as having a high overall security risk ahead of the election and identified Osogbo and Irewole as critical-risk Local Government Areas, while several others, including Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Ife Central, Ife North, Iwo, Ede North and Boripe, were rated high risk.
According to the statement, the risks are linked to political violence, disputes over Local Government secretariats, criminal activities and the spread of fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
The EU-SDGN EOH also expressed concern over allegations of police brutality, illegal arrests and extra-judicial killings, urging security agencies to remain professional, neutral and impartial throughout the election.
While acknowledging that the Electoral Act 2026 requires Presiding Officers to electronically transmit polling-unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), the Hub said there was insufficient public clarity regarding the electronic EC8A and the backend validation process before results are published.
It called on INEC to publish a clear, end-to-end protocol explaining the results transmission process and clarifying which version of a result would prevail if discrepancies arise.
The Hub further urged INEC to publish ward-level and Local Government-level collation results on IReV to enable voters, political parties and observers to verify results throughout the collation process.
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The EU-SDGN EOH appealed to political parties and candidates to respect the July 30 Peace Accord, reject violence and accept the outcome declared by INEC, while pursuing grievances through lawful and judicial channels.
It also urged voters to come out early, vote freely and reject financial or material inducements.
The observers stressed that the credibility of Saturday’s election would ultimately depend on a free, fair, credible and peaceful polling, collation and declaration process, supported by a transparent and verifiable chain of results from polling units to the final declaration.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
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