Osun Poll: Adeleke Campaign Council Urges INEC to Address Electoral Lapses Ahead of August 15 Election
By Waliu Adetokun, Osogbo
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), the campaign organisation of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address what it described as critical shortcomings observed in recent elections across the country ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in Osun State.
Speaking at a press conference, the Director-General of the council, Senator Kamarudeen Olalere Oyewumi, said the concerns were informed by reports from accredited election observer groups, findings by the council’s Election Surveillance and Data Analysis Unit, and feedback from voters who participated in recent elections.
According to him, the observations were drawn from the 2026 FCT Area Council election, the Ekiti State governorship election and the June 20 bye-elections held in Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Rivers, Kano and Kebbi states.
Oyewumi said the council decided to raise the issues ahead of the Osun governorship election to give INEC and other relevant stakeholders ample opportunity to address them.
“The Imole Campaign Council firmly believes that elections derive their legitimacy from public confidence. Once citizens begin to lose faith in the integrity of the electoral process, democracy itself becomes endangered. It is against this background that we consider it a patriotic duty to raise these concerns now, while there is still sufficient time for the electoral umpire to address them,” he said.
The council identified 10 major areas it believes require urgent attention to guarantee a credible election in Osun.
Among the issues raised was the alleged inadequate deployment of ballot papers and other sensitive election materials during recent elections. Oyewumi cited reports from the FCT Area Council election, where missing or insufficient ballot papers reportedly disrupted voting in some polling units.
He urged INEC to ensure adequate deployment of election materials to every polling unit, strengthen the chain of custody for sensitive materials and establish effective reporting mechanisms capable of addressing shortages or irregularities on election day.
The campaign council also expressed concern over allegations that Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were distributed to suspected mercenary voters during recent off-cycle elections.
“We therefore warn that the people of Osun will not tolerate any attempt to import mercenary voters or manipulate the electoral process through unlawful distribution of PVCs,” Oyewumi stated.
The council further referenced reports and viral videos from recent elections in which some voters alleged they were issued ballot papers that had already been thumb-printed before being handed over to them.
While noting that it was not making definitive conclusions on the incidents, the council maintained that INEC must ensure all ballot papers and result sheets deployed for the Osun election remain secure and inaccessible to unauthorised persons.
Another concern highlighted by the campaign council was the reported appearance of political parties without candidates on ballot papers and result sheets in some recent elections.
According to Oyewumi, such errors could confuse voters, compromise the integrity of the election and raise questions about the credibility of the electoral process.
On the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the council said reports from election observers indicated that some machines experienced technical challenges during voter accreditation, particularly affecting elderly voters.
“Technology should make elections easier, not become an obstacle to the exercise of constitutional rights. INEC must ensure that fully functional BVAS machines are deployed across Osun State so that no eligible voter is disenfranchised because of technical failures,” he said.
The council also condemned reports that some individuals allegedly voted without presenting Permanent Voter Cards during the Ekiti governorship election, describing the development as a violation of the Electoral Act.
It warned that such practices could encourage impersonation, multiple voting and other forms of electoral malpractice.
Oyewumi also cited observations by Yiaga Africa, which identified vote buying, lapses in results management, BVAS-related accreditation challenges, breaches of ballot secrecy and poor public communication as major concerns during the Ekiti governorship election.
He urged INEC to treat those observations as an early warning and strengthen measures to prevent a recurrence in Osun.
The campaign council further called on the electoral commission to deploy additional BVAS machines and election personnel to polling units with large numbers of registered voters to reduce delays and ensure eligible voters are accredited within the stipulated time.
On allegations of plans to manipulate the election electronically, the council claimed it had received reports that some APC leaders allegedly boasted about preloading BVAS machines and printing extra result sheets ahead of the election.
“In the light of these troubling indications, the Imole Campaign Council calls on INEC, security agencies and all relevant authorities to urgently investigate these boasts, secure and audit all BVAS devices and result sheets, and publicly reassure the people of Osun State that robust safeguards are in place to prevent any form of tampering or pre-programming that could compromise the sanctity of the August 15 governorship election,” Oyewumi said.
He stressed that the purpose of the press conference was not to undermine confidence in INEC but to encourage improvements in the electoral process.
“The people of Osun are peaceful, politically conscious and deeply committed to democracy. They expect nothing short of a free, fair, transparent and credible election that faithfully reflects the wishes of the electorate,” he said.
Oyewumi urged security agencies to remain impartial, professional and vigilant throughout the election while calling on political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully.
He added that the Imole Campaign Council would continue to engage all lawful democratic institutions to ensure that every legitimate vote cast in the August 15 governorship election counts.