Osun Residents Seek Extension as Crowds, Long Queues Mar PVC Collection
Despite Tuesday being declared a work-free day, residents of Osun State continued to crowd designated centres to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), as directed by the Independent National...
Despite Tuesday being declared a work-free day, residents of Osun State continued to crowd designated centres to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), as directed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). However, the exercise has faced resistance, with what was expected to be a smooth process turning into a test of patience amid overcrowded centres, long waits and too few electoral officials deployed for the exercise.
On July 20, 2026, INEC Osun announced that PVC distribution would begin statewide on July 22. The commission said Phase 1 would run from Wednesday, July 22, to Tuesday, July 28, 2026, across the state’s 332 wards and registration areas, while Phase 2 would move to all 30 INEC local government offices from Wednesday, July 29, to Friday, August 7, 2026.
Visits to several PVC collection centres across Osun State showed that the process remained slow, despite INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola announcing that 37.5% of the cards had been distributed by July 26. Crowds gathered at various centres, with some residents saying they arrived as early as 6:00 a.m. to avoid long queues. Even so, many waited for hours before being attended to, while others left without collecting their cards.
The situation has prompted residents to urge INEC to extend the collection period and deploy more officials to reduce pressure at distribution centres as the PVC distribution deadline approaches.
At the centres visited, some residents maintained orderly queues while others were scattered around the premises. Many complained that the limited number of officials was unnecessarily slowing the process, while some applicants said they had visited repeatedly without collecting their cards because of the large crowds.
While many residents commended INEC for making the cards available, they insisted that operational challenges require urgent attention. Among the recurring suggestions were the deployment of additional staff, the establishment of more temporary collection points in densely populated areas and an extension of the collection window to accommodate the large turnout.
The experience was exhausting for Mrs. Jamiu Falilat, a trader who claimed she had been in a long queue for hours before the interview at Ward 8, Adenle Grammar School, Ayetooro, Olorunda Local Government. She stated that the exercise has faced significant challenges as a result of the number of officials attending, and it has delayed the process.
“I have been here since 7 o’clock this morning, and as I speak, no one has attended to me. The crowd is overwhelming, and just a few officials are attending to hundreds of people. Can you see the crowds? How can just a few of the officials be attending to us when we are here queuing? I think INEC must consider extending the deadline and give us more staff; otherwise, many people won’t be able to get the card, and that will make us not be able to vote.”
Similarly, Adeyemi Kemi, a trader in the same registration centre as Mrs Jamiu, lamented the stress of collecting her PVC. Although she commended the electoral commission for giving priority to the PWDs, the elderly and pregnant women, she insisted that the majority group did not get such treatment, as they could not make headway with the exercise
“I came here yesterday and couldn’t get my card because the queue was too long. Today I returned, and the situation is even worse. INEC should please extend the collection period because many people may lose the opportunity to vote through no fault of theirs.
“Well, if we weren’t lying, the people with disabilities and the older ones have been quickly attended to; in fact, they gave pregnant women the same treatment, but they need to consider us too, and I feel like if they provided more staff, it would be fast and easy for us to get our PVCs.”
Mr. Akeem Kazeem, a civil servant at Ward 4 Osogbo local government, expressed his disappointment with what he had expected to be a smooth and seamless process. He explained that he faced difficulties due to the overwhelming number of people at the registration centre, which could lead to many being disenfranchised.
“I had to take an excuse from work to be here, but this process has taken too long. Many people came here before me, but they still have not received their cards. INEC must find a way to fix the situation before it is too late and people end up being disenfranchised. We want to exercise our constitutional right, but if we cannot get our cards, it simply means we will not be able to vote. We call on INEC to either extend the deadline or bring the voters’ cards to our polling units to make it easy for us.” he said,
For first-time voter Oriloye Faith, the exercise has been a disappointment to her expectations, given her enthusiasm to participate and the long queues and delayed process. She urged INEC to find a way to speed up the process and find a solution.
“I was here yesterday; the queue was too long. I went back home thinking there would be an improvement today, but it is still the same. As a first-timer, you know our generation is not that patient; this could make youth not want to participate in the election if they have to be in a queue for the full day. We have been under the sun since, and we have no idea when we will be leaving here.
Mr Wahab Mayowa, a road transport worker at Ward 1, Osogbo Local Government, said the time spent at the collection centre translates directly into lost income. “Every hour I stay here is money lost. We all want to vote because our votes matter, but the process shouldn’t make people suffer this much. More staff should be deployed immediately.”
However, it was observed that the officials of the electoral commission gave priority to the PWDs and the elderly. While there was no PWD representative to speak to, Chief Samuel Adeyemi, Osogbo, an elderly person at Ward 5, Local Government, said that while staff of the INEC have been overwhelmed, they have been positive towards the disabled and the elderly.
“We must acknowledge and commend INEC for standing by their words that they would give priority to the PWDs, older ones and the pregnant women. They even made a provision for special seats for us as elders to sit as they attend to us. We also appreciate the security officers for ensuring that we are not pushed around or made to stay,” he said.
Reacting to the development, INEC Public Relations Officer, Osun State, Mr Olorode Musa, said the commission had noted the developments around the overcrowding situation, and the commission is weighing all its options for the next action.
“We have received the complaints, and it has been duly noted, but we will have to assess the situation and see the percentage of collection before we take the next action. Presently, we are at 37.5 percent of collection; by the end, we will see what we can do if there will be an extension or not; we will deliberate on it,” he said.
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