The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for the August 15 governorship election in Osun State by an additional two days following a low turnout by registered voters. The extension was announced on Thursday during an expanded stakeholders' meeting in Osogbo by the Chairman of the commission, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who said the exercise, initially scheduled to end on Tuesday, will now conclude on Friday, July 31.
Amupitan disclosed that only 322,822 newly registered voters—about 60 per cent of those eligible—had collected their PVCs as of Tuesday, prompting the commission to grant more time. He said security agencies would deploy patrol vehicles to PVC collection centres to protect electoral officials and voters throughout the extended exercise. The INEC chairman urged those yet to obtain their cards to do so before the deadline, stressing that only holders of valid PVCs would be allowed to vote.
Reassuring political parties and residents of the commission's preparedness, Amupitan said INEC had completed a comprehensive assessment of election readiness across all 30 local government areas in the state. He maintained that the electoral body had put in place the necessary operational, technological and logistical measures to ensure a smooth exercise, declaring that "the ballot box, not the bullet," would determine the outcome of the governorship poll.
According to him, a total of 2,339,233 registered voters will participate in the election across 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units, while 14 political parties are expected to contest. He added that 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, including backup devices, had been configured and deployed to facilitate seamless voter accreditation. Voting is scheduled to commence at 8:30 a.m. on election day, while Registration Area Centres (RACs) will open on August 14 to support the deployment of personnel, election materials and security operatives.
To further test its preparedness, the commission will conduct a mock accreditation exercise on August 1 in selected local government areas across Osun's three senatorial districts. On security, Amupitan said INEC had activated its Electoral Risk Management framework in partnership with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and other stakeholders to identify flashpoints and strengthen security in vulnerable areas. He identified Atakunmosa East and West, Boripe, Ede North and South, Ife Central, Ifedayo, Ila and Ifelodun as local government areas requiring enhanced security presence.
The INEC chairman also confirmed recent attacks on the commission's offices in Odo Otin and Ife Centre, during which batches of uncollected PVCs were stolen. He, however, assured voters that the stolen cards could not be used because accreditation would only be possible through biometric verification using the BVAS. He added that affected voters would receive reprinted or downloadable PVCs. Amupitan further said the commission had made provisions for inclusive participation by providing braille ballot guides for visually impaired voters, magnifying glasses for persons with low vision, and priority queues for persons with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers and elderly citizens.
Addressing concerns over electoral malpractice, Amupitan said INEC was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to monitor both cash and electronic vote-buying. He also announced that the 14 political parties participating in the election would sign a peace accord on Thursday under the supervision of the National Peace Committee and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC).
Earlier, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, said the commission had completed 11 of the 13 activities outlined in its election timetable. She revealed that the state's voter register had increased from 1,954,800 before the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to 2,339,233 after the exercise. According to her, all non-sensitive election materials have already been delivered to the 30 local government areas for sorting and distribution, while sensitive materials are securely stored at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Osogbo. She added that training for ad hoc staff would run from July 31 to August 9, while accreditation for journalists covering the election would close on August 2.
Also speaking at the meeting, the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, who represented the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, assured residents that the police would remain neutral and professional throughout the electoral process. He warned politicians and their supporters against engaging in vote buying or other electoral offences, emphasizing that anyone found violating the Electoral Act would be arrested and prosecuted irrespective of political affiliation or social status.
