The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State to 31 July 2026, as part of efforts to boost voter participation ahead of the 15 August governorship election.
The announcement was made by the Chairman of INEC, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan (SAN), during the Osun State Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Forum in Osogbo, where he also assured political parties, voters and other stakeholders that the Commission was fully prepared to conduct a free, fair, credible and peaceful election.
According to the INEC Chairman, 322,822 newly registered voters, representing 62 per cent of those registered, have collected their PVCs. He urged eligible voters who are yet to obtain their cards to take advantage of the extension before the deadline.
Amupitan also announced that a mock accreditation exercise using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be conducted on 1 August across 12 selected local government areas to test the technology ahead of election day.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs Oluwatoyin O. Babalola, said preparations for the election had reached an advanced stage. She disclosed that the state’s voter register had grown from 1,954,800 to 2,339,233, while all 3,763 BVAS devices required for the election had been configured and fully charged, with an additional 1,328 backup machines available.
She added that non-sensitive election materials had already been distributed to the local government areas, sensitive materials were secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria in Osogbo, and the training of ad hoc staff would take place between 31 July and 9 August.
Also speaking, the Supervising National Commissioner for Osun State, Professor Kunle Ajayi, described the governorship poll as an important test of Nigeria’s democratic process. He urged political parties and their supporters to shun hate speech, voter intimidation and vote buying, warning that anyone who breached the Electoral Act would be prosecuted.
The stakeholders’ forum concluded with an interactive session during which participants sought clarification on election logistics, security, BVAS deployment and voter accreditation. INEC officials assured attendees that adequate measures had been put in place to guarantee a transparent and peaceful election.
Following the meeting, Professor Amupitan led National Commissioners, members of the Commission’s management team and other senior officials into a session with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to fine-tune security arrangements ahead of the poll.
