Osun 2026: INEC To Transmit Results Electronically, Deploy BVAS

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured stakeholders that results of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State will be transmitted electronically to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed for voter accreditation and authentication.

National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Muhammed Haruna, gave the assurance on Tuesday during the INEC Stakeholders’ Forum held in Osogbo.

Haruna said the deployment of BVAS and electronic transmission of results were aimed at enhancing the transparency of the governorship election, noting that the same technology recorded a 96 per cent BVAS functionality rate and a 98 per cent IReV completion rate during the recent Ekiti State governorship election.

He disclosed that the commission processed a total of 499,809 applications during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, out of which 381,817 were new voters, adding that the exercise had significantly expanded the state’s voter register ahead of the governorship election.

While stressing the need for every stakeholder to rise against vote buying in the nation’s elections, Haruna said the commission was working with anti-graft agencies to tackle the menace, which has become a major threat to election credibility.

“The single most alarming development in the Ekiti State Governorship Election, and the most urgent challenge we collectively face going into Osun, is the brazen, widespread, and openly reported phenomenon of vote buying,” he said.

“We hear those concerns. We share them. And we are determined that what happened in Ekiti will not be allowed to fester and worsen in Osun.

“Let me be direct about the law. Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2026 is unambiguous: vote trading is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of not less than five million naira, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, plus a 10-year disqualification from contesting any public office in Nigeria,” he added.