The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and election stakeholders to address what it described as recurring irregularities witnessed during recent off-cycle and by-elections ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election in the state.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Monday, the Director-General of the council, Senator Lere Oyewumi, said the concerns were based on reports by accredited election observers, publicly available evidence, independent reviews by the council’s election surveillance team and experiences shared by voters during recent elections across the country.
Oyewumi said the council decided to raise the issues ahead of the Osun governorship poll to safeguard the credibility of the electoral process and sustain public confidence in democracy.
According to him, “Elections derive their legitimacy from public confidence. Once citizens begin to lose faith in the integrity of the electoral process, democracy itself becomes endangered. It is against this background that we consider it a patriotic duty to raise these concerns now, while there is still sufficient time for the electoral umpire to address them.”
Among the concerns raised by the council was the alleged distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to suspected mercenary voters during recent elections in states including Ogun, Oyo, Jigawa, Nasarawa, Kano and Ekiti.
Oyewumi alleged that viral videos circulating online suggested that suspected mercenary voters were issued PVCs shortly before voting, warning that such a development must not be allowed in Osun.
“We therefore warn that the people of Osun will not tolerate any attempt to import mercenary voters or manipulate the electoral process through unlawful distribution of PVCs,” he said.
The council also expressed concern over reports from the 2026 Ekiti governorship election and the FCT Area Council elections where some voters allegedly received already thumb-printed ballot papers before voting.
While noting that the council was not making a definitive conclusion on the allegations, Oyewumi said, “INEC owes Nigerians a duty to guarantee that every ballot paper and every result sheet deployed for the Osun election remains secure, untampered with and inaccessible to unauthorized persons. There must be no opportunity whatsoever for the cloning or duplication of sensitive election materials.”
On the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the campaign council cited reports of technical challenges experienced during previous elections, particularly difficulties encountered by elderly voters during accreditation.
“Technology should make elections easier, not become an obstacle to the exercise of constitutional rights. We therefore urge INEC to thoroughly test, calibrate and deploy fully functional BVAS machines across Osun State to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised because of age or technical failures,” Oyewumi stated.
The council also raised concerns over reports that some individuals allegedly voted without presenting Permanent Voter Cards during the Ekiti governorship election.
Describing the practice as a violation of the Electoral Act, Oyewumi said allowing voting without PVCs could encourage impersonation, multiple voting and the participation of mercenary voters.
“Allowing individuals to vote without presenting their PVCs creates dangerous opportunities for impersonation, multiple voting and the participation of mercenary voters. This undermines public confidence and provides a fertile ground for electoral manipulation,” he said.
He further called on INEC to deploy additional BVAS machines and election personnel to polling units with large voter populations, saying findings by the council’s Election Surveillance and Data Analysis Unit showed that more than 2,500 polling units in Osun have over 500 registered voters, while over 1,200 units have more than 1,000 registered voters.
According to him, adequate deployment of personnel and accreditation equipment would prevent delays, long queues and voter disenfranchisement on election day.
The campaign council also expressed concern over alleged claims that some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had boasted about preloading BVAS machines and illegally printing extra result sheets ahead of the governorship election.
Describing the allegations as disturbing, Oyewumi said, “If true, this strikes at the heart of electronic accreditation and suggests a predetermined outcome rather than the genuine will of the people. It is a calculated attempt to intimidate voters, erode confidence in the process and create the impression that the election has been technologically compromised before voting even begins.”
He called on INEC, security agencies and other relevant authorities to investigate the allegations and ensure that the forthcoming governorship election is conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner.
The council maintained that its observations were intended to strengthen the electoral process and not to undermine the credibility of the electoral umpire.
The Independent National Electoral Commission has not reacted to the issues raised by the team.
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