IReV regains importance as transparency tool in Osun election, says Yiaga Africa
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
Yiaga Africa stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Results Viewing Portal, IReV, has regained its importance as a transparency tool in Nigeria’s electoral process following its deployment in the 2026 Osun governorship election.
The group stated this on Sunday while presenting its Process and Results Verification Statement on the election, saying the electronic transmission and publication of polling-unit results strengthened transparency and provided an additional safeguard against manipulation.
The Chair of the 2026 Osun Election Observation Mission, Dr. Asmau Maikudi, said the publication of polling-unit results enabled citizens to independently scrutinise the results process. She added that Yiaga Africa’s Process and Results Verification for Transparency and Election Results Analysis Dashboard further strengthened transparency through evidence-based verification from the polling units to the results portal.
However, Maikudi said the performance of IReV was not without concerns, noting that the uploading of results stalled between 8:48 p.m. and 10 p.m., with 3,292 polling-unit results uploaded while 471 remained outstanding.
She said the delay required a clear explanation from INEC, stressing that sustaining public confidence in IReV would require not only timely and complete uploads but also proactive disclosure whenever delays occurred.
Maikudi also commended the generally professional conduct of security personnel on election day, despite a campaign period characterised by violence, inflammatory rhetoric and concerns about the neutrality of security agencies. She said the election showed that robust security deployment could be achieved without excessive interference in the electoral process.
Ahead of the 2027 general election, she recommended that security agencies review their deployment strategy and ensure the joint movement of security personnel, polling officials and election materials from Registration Area Centres to polling units on election day. She said the standard of neutrality should be sustained across elections, regardless of the political party controlling the state or federal government.
Maikudi further urged INEC to publish the causes of biometric authentication failures recorded during accreditation and outline remedial measures for 2027. She also called for comprehensive training of ad hoc officials, effective oversight of personnel deployed in the field and consistency in the application of election-day procedures.
