By Suzan Edeh
Election observers have raised concerns over low voter turnout and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) hitches during the just-concluded Osun State governorship election, despite describing the exercise as largely peaceful.
A coalition of observers led by the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) disclosed this on Thursday in a joint statement.
Other partners in the coalition include BISIGI Africa, IICSD, MOWALEK Centre, OGP Osun Chapter, Diamond FM 88.5 Ilesha, and USHAF Nigeria.
The coalition deployed 450 trained observers across more than 900 polling units spanning all 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.
According to the coalition’s findings, over 75 percent of the monitored polling units opened on schedule between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., drawing a notable presence of enthusiastic youth voters.
Data provided by the observers revealed that while 81.5 percent of Osun’s 2,339,233 registered voters collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), only 1,005,800 individuals actually cast ballots—representing a 43 percent voter turnout.
“The strong presence of young people is encouraging. However, the low overall turnout shows that more needs to be done to encourage citizens to participate,” The statement read.
The coalition further revealed that 40 percent of its observers reported BVAS-related malfunctions, primarily involving slow processing times and difficulties with biometric authentication.
“Elderly voters were the hardest hit by these failures, which were prominently recorded in Irewole, Ifelodun, Boluwaduro, Osogbo, Irepodun, Ejigbo, and Aiyedire LGAs.While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials resolved most technical glitches within 45 to 60 minutes, prolonged delays pushed voting late into the night in several areas”
“Affected locations included Ward 03, PU 01 in Atakunmosa East; Ward 01, PU 007 in Atakunmosa West; and the Awolowo Hall PU in Ife Central” The Statement said.
The observers urged INEC and political stakeholders to strengthen transparency and accountability during the voting and collation stages.
The group specifically charged the electoral umpire to upgrade its infrastructure, saying “INEC must strengthen electoral technology and logistics, particularly BVAS and result-management systems, through adequate testing, reliable power and network support, backup devices and timely technical assistance.”
Additionally, the coalition called on security agencies to maintain strict neutrality, improve operational coordination, and act swiftly to curb electoral offences—including vote-buying, violence, and intimidation—to protect voters, media personnel, and observers.
