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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun distributing sensitive election materials to the 30 local government areas of Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The distribution commenced on Thursday night under the supervision of the Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola.
The exercise had been delayed following a Federal High Court judgment directing INEC to include the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the ballot.
Following the ruling, the commission added the SDP to the ballot after printing additional ballot papers and result sheets for the party.
By 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, buses deployed for the exercise were leaving the Central Bank of Nigeria premises in Osogbo with materials for their assigned local government areas.
Speaking to journalists, Umar Mohammed, Senior Programme Manager at the Kimpat Development Initiative, described the commencement of the distribution as encouraging, particularly given concerns that the court ruling could disrupt the election timetable.
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“It is a very good thing that the materials arrived today. Hopefully, by the time INEC finishes sorting, they will distribute them to all the local governments,” he said.
Mohammed said the addition of the SDP had created a logistical challenge for INEC because the commission had to produce additional ballot papers and result sheets.
“We were worried after the court pronouncement, which led to the addition of SDP to the ballot. This created a logistical challenge for INEC. We felt it could affect the election and probably lead to a call for postponement, but it is good that the materials have arrived,” he said.
He also commended INEC’s deployment strategy, noting that the commission appeared to be prioritising local government areas considered distant and difficult to access.
However, Mohammed expressed concern that rainfall could affect the distribution of the materials across the state.
“I pray it does not rain because the dark clouds are already gathering. Rainfall could make the distribution of election materials difficult,” he said.
