Osun 2026: TICC decries alleged electoral lapses, urges INEC to safeguard poll

By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, on Monday flagged what it described as electoral lapses observed in recent elections across the country and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address them ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo, the Director-General of the council, Senator Olalere Oyewumi, said the concerns were drawn from reports by accredited election observers, publicly available evidence, independent reviews by the council’s election surveillance team and experiences shared by voters during the 2026 FCT Area Council election, the Ekiti governorship election and the June 20 by-elections held in Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Rivers, Kano and Kebbi states.

Oyewumi said the council identified 10 key issues requiring urgent attention, including the alleged deployment of insufficient ballot papers and other sensitive election materials, reports of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) being distributed to suspected mercenary voters, allegations of already thumb-printed ballot papers, and the appearance of political parties that did not field candidates on ballot papers and result sheets in some elections.

He also raised concerns over technical challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), reports of voting without PVCs, findings by election observer group Yiaga Africa highlighting vote-buying, breaches of ballot secrecy and lapses in election management, as well as the need for additional BVAS machines in polling units with large numbers of registered voters.

According to him, the council’s analysis of the recently published voters register indicated that about 2,500 of the state’s more than 3,000 polling units have over 500 registered voters, while more than 1,200 polling units have over 1,000 registered voters, making the deployment of additional BVAS machines necessary to avoid delays and voter disenfranchisement.

The campaign council also called on INEC and security agencies to investigate claims by some All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in the state about preloaded BVAS machines and the illegal printing of extra result sheets ahead of the election, saying such claims, if true, could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

“In the light of these troubling indications, the Imole Campaign Council calls on INEC, security agencies and all relevant authorities to urgently investigate these boasts, secure and audit all BVAS devices and result sheets, and publicly reassure the people of Osun State that robust safeguards are in place to prevent any form of tampering or pre-programming that could compromise the sanctity of the August 15, 2026 governorship election,” Oyewumi said.

The TICC director-general called on INEC to implement the necessary corrective measures before the governorship election. He also urged security agencies to remain neutral, professional and vigilant throughout the electoral process, while calling on political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully.