Reports
EU Observation Hub Faults IReV Validation Process Ahead of Osun Governorship Poll, Flags Security Flashpoints
By Joseph Sunday
The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub, EU-SDGN EOH, has raised fresh concerns over the backend validation and transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, less than 24 hours to the off-cycle governorship election in Osun State.
In its final pre-election statement released on Friday in Osogbo, the Hub said it has deployed 843 accredited observers across the state. The statement builds on its assessment report of July 12.
The Hub comprises the Centre for Media and Society, CEMESO, International Press Centre, IPC, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, NWTF, TAF Africa, The Kukah Centre, TKC, and Yiaga Africa.
According to the group, 15 candidates will contest the poll across 3,763 polling units in 332 Registration Areas and 30 Local Government Areas. The figure includes the Social Democratic Party, SDP, candidate, Dr. Francis Olugbenga Ajala, and his running mate, Faseke Babajimi Oladipo, who were added on August 12 following a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja.
INEC puts the number of registered voters at 2,339,233, representing a 19.67 per cent increase over the 2023 general election and 19.81 per cent over the 2022 governorship election. A total of 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards, representing 81.5 per cent, have been collected.
The Hub described the Osun poll as nationally significant, coming five months before the 2027 general election and two months after the Ekiti governorship election, and a major test of new provisions in the Electoral Act 2026.
INEC Preparedness:
On preparedness, the Hub quoted the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, as saying the Commission is ready operationally, technologically and logistically.
INEC said it has configured and charged Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, devices, distributed non-sensitive materials, delivered reprinted ballot papers to all 30 LGA offices, and recruited and trained about 17,500 ad-hoc staff. It has also activated 97 Super Registration Area Centres, Super-RACs, and 105 RACs for early deployment.
It said the mock accreditation of August 1 across 12 LGAs recorded BVAS glitches which have now been addressed, with BVAS deployment increased from 4,427 to 5,130 devices, plus 1,367 backups. INEC also assured that polling unit result sheets, Form EC8A, will be scanned and transmitted to IReV.
Concerns over IReV:
The Hub, however, expressed concern over electronic transmission under Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026. It cited the introduction of an electronic EC8A on BVAS as an additional validation step without clarity on where it is transmitted or its purpose, and a backend validation process that delays publication of results on IReV without public information on the checks involved.
It noted that IReV currently publishes only polling unit results, EC8A, and not ward-level EC8B or LGA-level EC8C results, limiting public verification of the collation process. It also flagged Section 65, which allows INEC to review declarations within seven days only on the basis of reports from its own officials.
The Hub reiterated its joint call of August 10 with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room for INEC to publish a clear end-to-end transmission protocol and subject its backend validation process to independent scrutiny.
Security Risk Rating:
On security, the Hub rated the overall risk in Osun as high. It listed Osogbo and Irewole as critical risk LGAs; Boripe, Obokun, Ilesa West, Ife Central, Ife North, Iwo, Ede North, Ifedayo, Ilesa East, Isokan and Irepodun as high-risk; and the remaining 17 LGAs as moderate or low risk.
It attributed the risks to four factors: organised political violence linked to party-aligned thugs and youth groups, the unresolved dispute over control of LGA secretariats, criminal actors exploiting the political environment, and widespread misinformation and disinformation.
The statement was presented in Osogbo by Samson Itodo of Yiaga Africa, Barrister Asabe Ndahi of The Kukah Centre, Akin Akingbulu of CEMESO, Lanre Arogundade of IPC, Brenda Anugwom of NWTF and Jake Epelle of TAF Africa.
The Nigeria Police Force, as lead agency, plans to deploy up to 30,000 personnel from police formations and other agencies including the Army, DSS, NSCDC, Immigration, Correctional Service, FRSC and NDLEA under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES.
The Hub urged all political parties, including Accord and the APC, to respect the July 30 Peace Accord and called on security agencies to remain professional, impartial and non-partisan.
It also flagged the under-representation of women, youths and persons with disabilities, noting that women make up 49.5 per cent of the population and 52.79 per cent of registered voters, while youths aged 18-34 make up 36.6 per cent of registered voters. It identified vote-buying as the biggest threat to credibility, with the EFCC and ICPC set to deploy plain-clothes officers.
Journalist Safety Platform:
In a related development, IPC Executive Director, Mr. Lanre Arogundade, announced the pilot of WAFLO, a WhatsApp-enabled, AI-assisted Live Election Incident Reporting System for journalists.
Journalists can report attacks or threats via https://dub.sh/safemedia or by sending ‘safemedia’ to 0805 877 8053.
The EU-SDGN EOH said it will issue a preliminary statement on Election Day and a post-election report after results are declared.
