By Sunday Oguntuyi, Osogbo
The Campaign Council for the re-election of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on Monday raised 10 major concerns ahead of the August 15 governorship election, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address what it described as shortcomings observed in recent elections across the country.
Addressing a press conference in Osogbo, the Director-General of the campaign council, Senator Kamarudeen Olalere Oyewumi, said the concerns were based on reports by accredited election observers, findings of the council’s Election Surveillance and Data Analysis Unit, publicly available evidence and feedback from voters during recent elections, including the FCT Area Council election, the Ekiti State governorship election and the June 20 bye-elections in Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo, Rivers, Kano and Kebbi states.
Oyewumi stressed that the campaign council’s intervention was not intended to undermine public confidence in INEC but to strengthen the electoral process and ensure that the Osun governorship election is free, fair, peaceful and credible.
He warned that democracy derives its legitimacy from public trust and that any erosion of confidence in the electoral process could weaken democratic governance.
Among the issues raised was the alleged inadequate deployment of ballot papers and other sensitive election materials during previous elections, particularly in parts of the FCT, where voting was reportedly disrupted due to shortages and incidents of ballot snatching.
He urged INEC to publicly disclose the quantity of ballot papers and sensitive materials allocated to each polling unit in Osun, strengthen its chain-of-custody procedures and establish real-time monitoring mechanisms to promptly detect and address shortages.
The campaign council also expressed concern over allegations of the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to suspected mercenary voters during recent off-cycle elections.
According to Oyewumi, videos circulating on social media allegedly showed individuals receiving PVCs shortly before voting in some states. He called on INEC to ensure that the PVC distribution process in Osun remains transparent and free from manipulation.
The council further raised concerns over allegations that already thumb-printed ballot papers were distributed during previous elections, urging the electoral commission to safeguard all sensitive election materials against cloning, duplication or tampering.
It also faulted reports that some political parties which did not field candidates allegedly appeared on ballot papers and result sheets in recent elections.
Oyewumi described the development as a serious administrative lapse and called on INEC to thoroughly verify all ballot papers and result sheet templates before the Osun poll.
The campaign council also highlighted concerns over the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), citing reports of technical difficulties experienced during voter accreditation in previous elections, particularly among elderly voters.
He urged INEC to comprehensively test and deploy functional BVAS machines across all polling units to ensure a seamless accreditation process.
The council also referenced reports by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room alleging that some individuals voted without presenting their Permanent Voter Cards during the Ekiti governorship election.
According to Oyewumi, such incidents, if true, would violate the Electoral Act and undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
He also cited findings by Yiaga Africa, which reportedly identified vote buying, lapses in result management, BVAS-related challenges, breaches of ballot secrecy and inadequate public communication during recent elections.
On logistics, the campaign council said its analysis of the recently published Osun voters’ register indicated that about 2,500 of the state’s more than 3,000 polling units have over 500 registered voters, while more than 1,200 polling units have over 1,000 registered voters.
Oyewumi called on INEC to deploy additional BVAS machines, election officials and accreditation equipment to heavily populated polling units to reduce delays and ensure that all eligible voters are able to cast their ballots.
The council also expressed concern over alleged claims by some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that BVAS devices had already been preloaded ahead of the election, as well as reports of plans to print extra result sheets.
He urged INEC and security agencies to investigate the allegations, audit all BVAS devices and election materials, and reassure residents that adequate safeguards are in place to protect the integrity of the election.
The campaign council further called for greater transparency in the ongoing distribution of newly produced PVCs, noting that about 381,817 newly registered voters, as well as those who applied for transfers or replacement of damaged cards, should be given unhindered access to collect their PVCs before election day.
It recommended decentralising PVC collection to the ward level, deploying mobile collection teams and extending distribution to weekends to improve accessibility.
Concluding the briefing, Oyewumi reaffirmed the campaign council’s commitment to lawful engagement with democratic institutions to protect the votes of Osun people.
He urged security agencies to remain impartial and professional, appealed to political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, and called on INEC to address the issues raised before the August 15 governorship election.
“The purpose of this press conference is not to undermine confidence in INEC but to strengthen the electoral process through constructive engagement,” Oyewumi said.
“The people of Osun deserve a free, fair, transparent and credible election. Every legitimate vote must count, and every legitimate vote must be protected.”
The APC and INEC had not responded to the campaign council’s allegations and concerns as of the time of filing this report.