Civil Society Organizations monitoring the Osun State governorship election have reported 323 cases of electoral offences and irregularities across 726 polling units observed as of noon on Saturday.
The incidents include 103 cases of vote trading, 85 instances of ballot paper exposure, 38 cases of campaigning at polling units and 31 cases of voter obstruction, while observers also documented 38 security incidents, including thuggery, attacks on electoral officials and voter intimidation.
The findings are contained in a preliminary election day statement by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub (EU-SDGN EOH), which deployed 823 accredited observers across the 30 local government areas of the state.
The Hub comprises Yiaga Africa, Centre for Media and Society, International Press Centre, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, TAF Africa and The Kukah Centre.
Presenting the statement on Saturday, Lanre Arogundade, executive director of the International Press Centre, said the findings were based on reports from stationary and roving observers deployed across the state.
According to the Hub, the 323 reported electoral offences and irregularities comprised 103 cases of vote trading, 12 cases of multiple voting, 28 cases of inducement of polling and security officials, 38 cases of campaigning at polling units, 14 cases of voter impersonation, seven cases of misconduct by election officials, 31 cases of obstruction of voters and 85 cases involving exposure of ballot papers.
The figures were recorded across the 726 polling units where the Hub had observers as of noon. Vote trading accounted for the largest category of reported electoral offences, followed by exposure of ballot papers.
The observers also reported 31 cases in which voters were allegedly obstructed from exercising their franchise, while campaigning at polling units accounted for 38 cases. Despite the reported incidents, the Hub described voting as generally peaceful and orderly in most locations.
The observers also raised concerns over the conduct of some security personnel at polling units. Although an average of three security personnel were deployed to the polling units observed and most were reported to have acted professionally, the group documented cases of voter intimidation by security agents at three locations.
“Although most of the security personnel exhibited professional conduct over the course of voting, there were some reported cases of voter intimidation by security agents at PU 29-10-10-005 at Igbon DC School in Ejigbo, PU 29-26-01-002 and PU 29-30-06-015 at an open space opposite No. 22, Oke Ola Street, Okanla Area, Osogbo,” Arogundade said.
The Hub said the reported cases required attention because security agencies at polling units should protect voters and election personnel rather than create fear or discourage participation.
It urged security agencies to maintain neutrality and professionalism while keeping a visible but restrained presence at polling units and collation centres.
The organizations also called for increased monitoring of areas identified as critical risks, particularly during counting and collation, when disputes over results could heighten tensions.
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The observers also recorded delays in the deployment of election personnel and materials at some polling units. The Hub said polling officials arrived with the complete complement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials in 726 of the 823 polling units observed.
Of these, 608 polling units, representing 83.7 per cent, had officials with the full complement of materials, including ballot papers, result sheets, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, BVAS, voting cubicles, registers of voters, official stamps and ink pads, between 7:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.
Another 75 polling units, representing 10.3 per cent, received officials between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., while officials arrived at 42 polling units, representing 5.7 per cent, between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. One polling unit had yet to open as of 11 a.m. because election personnel and materials had not arrived.
The group also reported malfunctioning BVAS devices at 58 polling units, representing 7.9 per cent of the 726 polling units observed.
However, 41 of the affected devices, representing 70.7 per cent, were subsequently rectified, allowing accreditation to resume.
The Hub urged INEC to immediately deploy Registration Area Technical Support personnel and backup BVAS devices to polling units where accreditation devices had failed.
It also called on INEC to ensure that polling units that had not commenced voting were supplied with the necessary personnel and materials or, where necessary, have the election rescheduled in accordance with the law.
Despite the reported irregularities, the observers said voter participation was largely inclusive, with noticeable participation by women and persons with disabilities, PwDS.
“The turnout of women is at about 59 per cent in the observed polling units and more than 70 per cent of PwDs turned up to vote in the 12 designated PwD polling units observed. Furthermore, women constituted 36 per cent of polling officials and played significant roles as polling agents,” Arogundade said.
He described the participation as an indication of broad engagement with the electoral process but urged INEC to continue monitoring the availability of priority voting and assistive devices for elderly voters, pregnant women and PwDs.
The Hub urged the media to refrain from announcing unofficial or projected results before INEC makes formal declarations at the appropriate polling and collation levels.
It also urged journalists to prioritize real-time fact-checking as results emerge and promptly report attacks or denial of access.
The organizations called on political parties and candidates to reject vote buying, intimidation and other forms of electoral malpractice and to channel grievances through election petitions and the courts.
The group also reminded political parties of the Peace Accord signed on July 30 and urged voters to remain calm as the process moves towards the final declaration.
The EU-SDGN EOH said it would publish a post-election report after the declaration of the results, providing a broader assessment of the conduct, credibility and outcome of the election.
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