Osun poll result will reflect people’s will, says INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has pledged that the upcoming August 15 Osun Governorship election will accurately reflect the will of the people. The electoral body assured stakeholders that the poll would be conducted in strict adherence to the Constitution and the Electoral Act, aiming for a credible, free, and inclusive process.

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Electoral integrity is measured not only by the credibility, like I said, of election procedure, but also by the conduct of stakeholders before, during, and after the election. Compliance with the law remains the strongest statement against electoral discrepancy.

Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, conveyed this commitment during a multi-stakeholder roundtable in Osogbo. The event, organized by the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative, focused on legal compliance and electoral integrity. Babalola emphasized that compliance with the law is the most potent defense against electoral discrepancies.

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We will conduct an election that will reflect the will of the people of Osun, and INEC will continue to discharge its constitutional responsibility with professionalism, neutrality, and unwavering integrity.

"Electoral integrity is measured not only by the credibility, like I said, of election procedure, but also by the conduct of stakeholders before, during, and after the election," Babalola stated. She recalled past elections in Nigeria where no petitions followed, underscoring INEC's dedication to professionalism, neutrality, and unwavering integrity in discharging its constitutional responsibilities.

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Credible elections and active citizen participation remain the bedrock of every democratic society. While the Ekiti election recorded notable improvements in several respects, it also highlighted operational, legal and administrative challenges that deserve careful reflection as Nigeria prepares for the Osun Off-cycle Governorship Election.

The roundtable also addressed concerns raised by the recent Ekiti governorship poll. Abimbola Aladejare-Salako, Executive Director of the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative, noted that while the Ekiti election showed improvements, it also exposed critical gaps in the implementation of the Electoral Act. She highlighted the mandatory transmission of results from polling units as an area needing careful reflection for the Osun election, stating that "the key mandatory transmission of election results from the polling units was not carried out in most of the polling units."

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One of the observations in the Ekiti election was that the key mandatory transmission of election results from the polling units was not carried out in most of the polling units. This is against the elec