The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Election Working Group has described the bulk of the Osun State governorship election as peaceful, orderly and largely compliant with electoral rules, even as it raised a red flag over an isolated incident that threatens the secrecy of the ballot.
Observers deployed across several local government areas reported that accreditation and voting commenced promptly at 8:30 a.m. in most polling units visited. Strong voter turnout was recorded in Osogbo, Olorunda, Irepodun and Orolu LGAs, with security personnel maintaining a visible and adequate presence.
In Osogbo LGA, polling units at Salvation Army Primary School, Atoja E Ward, and an open-space unit operated smoothly, with voters and officials discharging their duties professionally. Similar scenes played out in Irepodun LGA, where units in Oluwomi Quarters and Ilobu recorded orderly voting. By midday in one unit with 350 registered voters, balloting had concluded and residents waited calmly for counting to begin.
In Olorunda LGA’s Oba Oke Registration Area, two polling units, one with 650 registered voters and another with 603 also proceeded without disruption. One of the locations is in the hometown of the immediate past chairman of the NBA Osogbo Branch.
The Working Group, however, documented a concerning development in Orolu Local Government Area. Several voters who showed no visible signs of disability, old age or visual impairment were observed entering the voting cubicle with third parties who assisted them in marking their ballots. The affected unit has 945 registered voters.
Under INEC’s Regulations and Guidelines, assistance inside the voting cubicle is permitted only for voters who are blind, physically challenged or otherwise unable to mark their ballot independently, and only by a person of the voter’s choice. The NBA noted that the practice, if unchecked, risks undermining the constitutional principle of secret balloting and could open the door to vote-buying or inducement.
As voting wound down in many units, sorting, counting and collation commenced in several local government areas. A few units that experienced operational delays continued balloting beyond the official close, in line with INEC rules that allow voting to proceed for eligible voters still on the queue.
The NBA Election Working Group said it would continue monitoring the collation process and issue further situation reports. It reaffirmed its commitment to independent, impartial and evidence-based observation of the election.
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