The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), has described the August 15 Osun State governorship election as the most significant off-cycle poll on Nigeria’s current electoral calendar, saying it will serve as a critical test of the Commission’s preparedness for the 2027 General Election.
Amupitan stated this on Tuesday during a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, at the Enuwa Palace in Ile-Ife, where he sought the monarch’s support in promoting a peaceful, credible and violence-free election.
According to him, while the election will determine Osun’s next governor, it will also demonstrate INEC’s operational readiness, administrative integrity and deployment of electoral technology ahead of the next nationwide polls.
“This election serves as a critical benchmark for the 2027 General Election. It is a test of our operational readiness, our administrative integrity and our commitment to seamless electoral technology,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman appealed to the Ooni to use his influence to discourage political violence, vote buying and other actions capable of undermining the integrity of the electoral process.
“We humbly appeal to Your Imperial Majesty to use your exalted throne to send a clear message to all political actors, candidates and our vibrant youth that political contestation must be a contest of ideas, not a conflict of violence or thuggery,” he said.
Expressing concern over reports of voter inducement and rising political tension, Amupitan warned that democracy is diminished when voters are financially influenced or intimidated.
He assured the monarch that the Commission had concluded key operational preparations for the election, noting that 2,339,233 registered voters would vote across 3,763 polling units in the state’s 30 local government areas, while 14 political parties are participating in the contest.
To strengthen the process, he disclosed that INEC has deployed 4,427 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, including 664 backup units, and established 97 Super Registration Area Centres (Super RACs) alongside 105 Registration Area Centres to facilitate the early deployment of personnel and election materials.
Amupitan also reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to transparent result management through the prompt upload of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal.
Reiterating the Commission’s neutrality, he said all participating political parties would be treated equally.
“We have no preferred candidate, and we have no interest other than the integrity of the exercise. The outcome of the August 15 election will be nothing less than the true, unadulterated reflection of the sovereign will of the people of Osun State,” he said.
The INEC chairman also urged eligible voters to turn out peacefully on election day with the assurance that every valid vote would count, while expressing confidence that the support of traditional institutions would help strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
