The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun sorting and counting ballots at polling units across Osun State following the close of voting in Saturday’s governorship election.
The exercise marks the transition from voting to the first stage of determining the choices made by voters in the contest involving candidates of 15 political parties.
At polling centres visited by election officials, ballots are being separated, sorted according to candidates and counted as officials commence the process of establishing the number of votes recorded for each contestant.
The counting is taking place after voters completed the casting of ballots across the state’s 30 local government areas.
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INEC said the votes would be entered on the appropriate result sheets before the figures are announced at the respective polling units.
The commission will then transmit the results in accordance with the established electoral procedures.
The development is significant because the sorting and counting stage provides the first official indication of how voters distributed their ballots among the candidates after weeks of campaigning and intense political activity across the state.
INEC had earlier faced a late adjustment to its preparations after a Federal High Court judgment ordered the inclusion of Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Francis Ajala and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, on the ballot.
The decision increased the number of parties contesting the election from 14 to 15.
INEC National Commissioner supervising Osun State, Kunle Ajayi, said the commission printed millions of ballot papers and other sensitive materials within 36 hours to accommodate the court directive.
He also said the materials were distributed to all 30 local government areas without any incident during transportation.
As the counting progresses, attention is now shifting from voter turnout and the conduct of the poll to the figures emerging from individual polling units.
The completed result sheets will provide the basis for the collation process, through which results from polling units will be aggregated at successive levels before the final outcome is declared by the electoral commission.
INEC’s photographs from the field showed officials engaged in the sorting and counting exercise, while ballots are arranged for verification and tabulation.
The commission is expected to continue the collation process after polling-unit results have been completed and recorded.
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