• Raises 10 demands for INEC ahead of August 15 governorship election
• Calls for more BVAS machines, transparent PVC distribution
By Boluwatife Adedokun
The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately investigate allegations of plans to preload Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and illegally print additional result sheets ahead of the August 15 Osun State governorship election.
The Council warned that unless the allegations are thoroughly investigated and addressed, public confidence in the electoral process could be undermined, urging the electoral umpire to audit all election technologies and sensitive materials while putting adequate safeguards in place to protect the integrity of the poll.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo on Monday, the Director-General of the Council, Senator Kamarudeen Olalere Oyewumi, said the concerns were informed by reports from accredited election observers, findings by the Council’s Election Surveillance Team, independent reviews and experiences recorded during the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council election, the Ekiti governorship election and recent bye-elections across the country.
According to him, the Council is not seeking to discredit INEC but to strengthen the electoral process by drawing attention to recurring challenges that have affected previous elections.
“We have heard disturbing allegations that some political actors have openly boasted of plans to preload BVAS machines and illegally print additional result sheets ahead of the Osun governorship election. We call on INEC and security agencies to investigate these claims, audit all election technologies and sensitive materials, and reassure the people of Osun that every necessary safeguard has been put in place to guarantee the credibility of the election,” Oyewumi said.
Beyond the allegations, the Council presented 10 key demands which it said require urgent attention before election day. It urged INEC to ensure the adequate deployment of ballot papers and other sensitive materials to every polling unit, prevent the circulation of allegedly pre-thumbprinted ballot papers, verify ballot papers and result sheets to ensure that only duly qualified political parties appear on election materials, and strengthen measures to eliminate technical failures associated with the BVAS.
The Council also insisted that no voter should be accredited without presenting a valid Permanent Voter Card (PVC) as required by the Electoral Act, while calling on INEC to study and implement recommendations contained in Yiaga Africa’s recent election assessment, particularly those relating to vote-buying, ballot secrecy, voter accreditation, results management and public communication.
Oyewumi further disclosed that the Council’s Election Surveillance and Data Analysis Unit identified more than 2,500 polling units across Osun State with over 500 registered voters, including over 1,200 polling units with more than 1,000 registered voters.
He argued that the development makes it necessary for INEC to deploy additional BVAS machines, election officials and accreditation equipment in line with its regulations to avoid delays and voter disenfranchisement on election day.
The Council also expressed concern over the ongoing distribution of newly printed PVCs, insisting that the exercise must be transparent, decentralised and free from proxy collection to ensure that all 381,817 newly registered voters, alongside others who updated their voter records, receive their cards before the election.
Oyewumi maintained that the intervention was intended to promote credible elections rather than undermine confidence in the electoral commission, reaffirming the Council’s commitment to protecting the sanctity of the people’s votes through lawful democratic means.
He urged INEC to act on the concerns raised, called on security agencies to remain professional and politically neutral throughout the election period, and appealed to political parties and their supporters to conduct their campaigns peacefully.
“The votes of Osun people must count, and every legitimate vote must be protected,” he said.
