CSOs Commend INEC, Security Agencies On Peaceful Osun Governorship Election

Civil Society Organisations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI) and the Centre for Integrated Community and Social Development (CICSD) have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the largely peaceful conduct of the 2026 Osun State governorship election.

The organisations made the commendation on Sunday during a press briefing in Osogbo on their preliminary observations of the election.

Speaking on behalf of the INEC-accredited civil society observers, the Team Lead, Kunle Yusuff, said the organisations deployed 197 trained and non-partisan observers across the 30 Local Government Areas of the state.

According to him, the observers assessed the electoral process based on the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, INEC guidelines and international best practices.

Yusuff commended INEC for what he described as improved electoral preparedness, particularly the early deployment of personnel and sensitive materials to most polling units.

He said the electoral environment remained largely peaceful, with no widespread cases of violence recorded during the exercise.

The CSO team also described the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) as positive developments capable of strengthening transparency and public confidence in the electoral process.

Yusuff said the observers monitored the pre-election, election-day and post-election processes, including activities at polling units, collation centres and identified electoral flashpoints.

He said, “INEC demonstrated improved logistics with the early deployment of personnel and materials to most polling units. The functionality of the BVAS and IReV portal is a welcome development that enhances transparency and public confidence.

“The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies demonstrated professionalism and a clear understanding of electoral security procedures and personnel deployment.

“The environment was largely peaceful and devoid of widespread violence.”

However, the organisations urged INEC to ensure the timely transmission of election results and address technical challenges observed during the exercise.

They also called on security agencies to maintain neutrality and continue to provide adequate protection for voters, electoral officials and election materials.

The CSOs urged political parties and candidates to uphold peace and resort to constitutional means in addressing any grievances arising from the election.

They equally appealed to voters to remain peaceful and law-abiding as the collation and declaration processes continued.

The organisations further recommended that INEC develop a structured partnership with traditional ruler institutions, particularly in the areas of voter education and communal conflict management.

Yusuff noted that traditional institutions played a significant role in preventing potential conflicts in some parts of the state during the election.

“We observed that in a few Local Government Areas, potential conflicts were successfully resolved at the palace,” he said.

The CSOs maintained that sustained collaboration among INEC, security agencies, traditional institutions, political actors, civil society organisations and voters would be critical to consolidating the gains recorded during the election.