By Julian Osamoto
A Non-governmental Organisation, Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, has warned that unresolved weaknesses exposed by the 2026 Osun Governorship Election could undermine the credibility of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The organisation identified problems with election technology, result management, voter inducement and electoral security that require urgent attention before the next electoral cycle.
In its final post-election briefing in Abuja, KDI Faculty Member Ernest Ereke, said its 370 accredited observers recorded a 15.1 per cent failure rate in BVAS accreditation, with difficulties in fingerprint recognition forcing extensive use of facial recognition in several locations.
He mentioned that the challenges were particularly significant for some elderly voters and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to improve BVAS reliability and technical support.
“KDI’s independent analysis of results uploaded to the IReV portal also identified 260 polling units with arithmetic inconsistencies, 82 cases where accredited voters exceeded votes cast, and 11 registered-voter mismatches”.
According to him, the discrepancies raise questions about the effectiveness and transparency of INEC’s electronic result validation system, e-EC8A.
KDI also questioned the legal status of e-EC8A, saying INEC should clarify its relationship with the physical EC8A under the Electoral Act 2026 and the Constitution before the 2027 elections.
On voter inducement, KDI reported cash payments ranging from N5,000 to N50,000, alongside food and drinks, across the 30 Local Government Areas.
“Inducement was increasingly taking place outside polling-unit perimeters, including through vehicles and small businesses, making detection more difficult”.
KDI also verified 17 election-related violence incidents involving more than 44 victims across 10 Local Government Areas, while voting was disrupted and subsequently cancelled at one polling unit in Ejigbo.
Speaking on security, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Abutu Yaro, said security agencies generally maintained order, although seven per cent of processed reports indicated alleged interference by security personnel.
KDI team lead, Bukola Idowu called on INEC to improve election-day preparedness, strengthen BVAS technical support, provide timely explanations during IReV disruptions and clarify the e-EC8A validation process.
He also urged security agencies to promptly investigate and prosecute the 295 people arrested for election-related offences, with appropriate updates on case progression made public.
KDI said the Osun election showed that peaceful voting alone cannot guarantee electoral credibility, stressing the need for reliable technology, accurate result management, professional conduct and transparent electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
