The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared its readiness for the August 15 Osun State governorship election, assuring residents that the poll will be conducted in a peaceful, credible and transparent manner.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), gave the assurance on Saturday during a media briefing at the conclusion of the commission’s five-day readiness assessment tour of the state.
The tour culminated in a statewide mock accreditation exercise conducted across selected polling units in Osun’s three senatorial districts to evaluate the commission’s operational and technological preparedness ahead of the election.
Prof. Amupitan said the exercise confirmed the effectiveness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), noting that the technology performed satisfactorily during the simulation.
According to him, most voters were successfully accredited through facial recognition within seconds, while minor technical issues encountered during the exercise were promptly addressed by the commission’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) team.
“The mock accreditation exercise is our quality control protocol. What we saw today confirmed that our technological defence against identity theft and result manipulation is robust and fully operational,” he said.
The INEC chairman reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair and credible election, stressing that violence, voter intimidation and other forms of electoral malpractice would not be allowed to undermine the democratic process.
He also called on media organisations to partner with the commission by providing accurate, timely and responsible reportage before, during and after the election, noting that the media plays a critical role in promoting public confidence in the electoral process.
Amupitan urged eligible voters to turn out peacefully on election day and assured them that INEC had put in place the necessary logistics, personnel and technology to ensure a smooth and transparent governorship election across the state.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled to hold on August 15, with the commission expressing confidence that all arrangements have been finalised for a successful exercise.
