Osun 2026: Impressive Voter Turnout, BVAS Malfunctions, Widespread Vote Buying, and Sporadic Skirmishes
Polling opened early in many units across Osogbo, the state capital, and other towns in Osun. Still, the process was marred by occasional BVAS glitches, violence in some areas, and voters openly...
Polling opened early in many units across Osogbo, the state capital, and other towns in Osun. Still, the process was marred by occasional BVAS glitches, violence in some areas, and voters openly displaying ballot papers to party agents, apparently as part of vote-buying arrangements.
INEC appeared to improve its logistics, with many polling officers at their duty posts by 7:30 a.m., except in a few locations. Voting began at several polling units by 8:30 a.m. Still, it could not start at Ota Efun Unit 3, Ward 8, because the voters’ register was incomplete, prompting voters to boycott the process until the full list was provided.
The electoral process was largely peaceful and orderly, with strong turnout among both young and elderly voters. Although there were few reports of harassment or intimidation in the Osogbo metropolis, the situation was different in Ikire, Irewole Local Government, and in Ejigbo, where the voting process was disrupted in many places, including Ward 4 Unit 13, Oke-Odo, Ejigbo, after ADC candidate Dr Najeem Salam cast his vote.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted at his Abegunde/Sagba polling unit in Ede North at 10:20 a.m. and later addressed the media. “We don’t want violence in Osun. All we want is a free and fair election that allows people to perform their civic duty. We want security agencies to remain vigilant against the use of fake ballot papers instead of officially accredited and approved ones.”
The Governor also warned that every collation must be completed at the unit, ward, and local government levels. No room for local government collation to be done at the State level.
On his part, the Deputy Governor, Mr Kola Adewusi, who voted at the Enuwa Square in Ile-Ife, complained bitterly about the BVAS: “It is malfunctioning. INEC should change the BVAS machine.”
INEC’s National Commissioner for Security, Rear Admiral J.A.S., was seen at Okefia, Unit 36, Ward 5, directing increased security to the area due to its volatility. Some voters had alerted her to suspicious movements by unidentified persons in two Sienna buses in the area.
As of 8:40 a.m., INEC officials had not arrived at Unit 39, Ward 4, in the Odi-Olowo area. Some voters waited patiently but complained about the delay, saying they had been at the polling unit since 7:30 a.m.
At Ward 3, Unit 17, party agents insisted on counting ballot papers manually, sheet by sheet, delaying the start of voting at 8:30 a.m. The polling unit had 293 registered voters. At Unit 8, Ward 3, in Osogbo Local Government, the BVAS malfunctioned, and the polling officer requested a backup device. At Unit 11, Ward 3, voting slowed because the ink pads had no ink, although the BVAS was working properly.
At Ota-Efun Market, Ward 2, Unit 3, voting had not begun by 11:20 a.m. because INEC officials arrived with an incomplete voters’ register. The unit had 2,354 registered voters, but the list provided contained only 1,178 names. Voters therefore refused to begin voting until the officials made the complete register available. At Ward 4, Unit 23, voting was delayed until about noon because the BVAS had network problems.
In Ikire, Irewole Local Government, Senator Lere Oyewunmi, who represents Osun West and serves as Director General of the Imole Campaign Council, said voting went smoothly at his Unit 9, Ward 9. However, he said the situation was different in other parts of Ikire, where thugs were allegedly driving voters away from queues. He urged voters to stay patient and not let intimidation affect them.
A key challenge was the lack of backup BVAS machines at many polling units. Some large units with more than 1,000 registered voters had only one device, highlighting the need for INEC to address BVAS shortages.
Security Arrangements
As promised, each polling unit had an average of four police officers, with twice that number deployed in some locations. At Unit 19, Ward 11, nine police officers and two Civil Defence operatives monitored the process. The centre is largely populated by students of the Osun State University.
There was a large presence of policemen and soldiers manning key areas of the streets and roads. On some roads, security personnel mounted barricades and questioned passersby, even asking observers to open the boots of their cars.
Businesses
A few businesses, mainly food vendors and sellers of fruits, fried snacks, and assorted drinks, stayed open, while many shops and other businesses closed.
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