Yiaga Africa Commends Osun Voters’ Resilience, Seeks BVAS Improvement

Election observation organisation, Yiaga Africa, has commended voters in Osun State for their resilience during Saturday’s governorship election and praised those who remained at polling units to protect their votes.

The organisation also said the election demonstrated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could meet high operational standards when adequately resourced, closely monitored and supported with effective technology.

Speaking during the presentation of Yiaga Africa’s post-election report in Osogbo, the organisation’s Chairperson, Dr Asmau Maikudi, alongside its Executive Director, Samson Itodo, said INEC successfully implemented several aspects of the Electoral Act 2026 and transmitted results transparently during the poll.

Maikudi, however, challenged the commission to replicate the performance nationwide during the 2027 general elections, noting that a national election would involve far more polling units and would not benefit from the concentration of resources and attention available during a single-state election.

She urged INEC to convert the lessons from Osun into permanent institutional standards ahead of 2027.

The organisation called for improved quality assurance for sensitive electoral materials, better resolution of inconsistencies in voter data and standardised implementation of downloadable Permanent Voter Cards.

Yiaga Africa also urged INEC to strengthen the resilience and transparency of the Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and improve public communication whenever technological or operational challenges occur.

On the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), Maikudi called for a comprehensive post-election technical audit to determine the causes of accreditation failures recorded at some polling units.

She urged INEC to improve device testing, maintenance and rapid technical support to minimise disruptions during voter accreditation.

The organisation also recommended that INEC publish information on biometric authentication failures and explain the measures being taken to prevent similar challenges in 2027.

On security, Yiaga Africa called for a review of the deployment strategy, including closer coordination between security personnel, polling officials and election materials from Registration Area Centres to polling units.

The group also urged security agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to intensify efforts against vote-buying and electoral inducement around polling locations.

Maikudi said offenders, including party agents and financiers, should be arrested and prosecuted where sufficient evidence exists.

She further urged political parties to train their polling agents on the Electoral Act 2026, INEC regulations and voter education ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Yiaga Africa said the Osun election provided valuable lessons that should be institutionalised to improve Nigeria’s electoral process.