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The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, has promised to build on the successes recorded during the August 15 governorship election to deliver free, fair, credible, transparent, and inclusive elections in 2027.
Babalola gave the assurance during a media briefing in Osogbo regarding the state’s preparedness for the upcoming 2027 general elections.
She commended journalists and media houses in the state for their professionalism, sense of responsibility, and commitment to balanced, objective, and factual reportage of electoral activities.
“I urge you to sustain this commendable partnership with the Commission by continuing to promote accurate information, responsible political communication, constructive public discourse, and voter education, while resisting the temptation to disseminate unverified information capable of undermining public confidence or threatening the peace of our state,” Babalola stated.
Highlighting the commission’s proactive measures, the REC noted that despite the impressive voter turnout recorded during the August governorship election, INEC has already commenced continuous voter education and enlightenment programs, alongside ongoing collaborations with critical stakeholders.
She disclosed that the commission has organized a series of capacity-building workshops for staff. These include training on the Collation Support and Result Verification System (CSRVS), training for Electoral Operations Support Centre (EOSC) officials, post-Ekiti and Osun Election Monitoring and Support Centre (EMSC) reviews, and workshops on logistical preparedness, Electoral Risk Management (ERM), EMSC Amber Zone implementation, and electoral training certification.
Noting that the commission has successfully executed nine out of the fourteen major scheduled activities for the 2027 elections, Babalola declared that Osun State is fully ready.
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She outlined the remaining timeline of key activities including publication of the Official Register of Voters: December 15, 2026; publication of Notice of Poll on December 29, 2026; End of Campaigns for President/National Assembly on January 14, 2027; Presidential/National Assembly Elections on January 16, 2027; End of Campaigns for Governorship/State House of Assembly on February 4, 2027; and Governorship/State House of Assembly Elections on February 6, 2027.
Providing updates on Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), Babalola revealed that 1,903,390 PVCs (representing 81.5%) were collected prior to the August 15 governorship election, with 427,216 remaining uncollected at the time.
She added that an additional 7,547 PVCs have been collected since the election, pushing the total collection rate to 81.74% and reducing uncollected PVCs to 18.26%.
On recruitment and technology, Babalola announced that the recruitment portal (pres.inecnigeria.org) for ad-hoc election officials opened on September 18, 2026, and will close on November 18, 2026, with a strong emphasis on competence, neutrality, integrity, and professionalism.
She assured the public that 5,763 functional Bimodal Voter Accreditation Systems (BVAS) are available for the polls, reiterating that the devices will be used for direct uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) to guarantee transparency.
Babalola reminded media practitioners that the dedicated portal for 2027 general election media accreditation, which opened on Friday, October 30, 2026, will close on Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
She reaffirmed that INEC remains steadfastly committed to continuous improvement, accountability, and the delivery of credible democratic processes in the state.
