Commission says millions of ballot papers were printed within 36 hours after SDP was added to the ballot.
Distribution of sensitive electoral materials for the Osun State governorship election has commenced across the state as voters prepare to choose their next governor.
As of the time of filing this report, polling officers were already positioned at the registration centre in CAC Grammar School, Araromi, Osogbo, to collect materials and proceed to their respective polling units.
The election has 15 political parties on the ballot, with 2,339,233 registered voters expected to participate across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it successfully printed millions of ballot papers and result sheets within 36 hours following a Federal High Court judgment ordering the inclusion of Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Francis Ajala and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, on the ballot.
INEC National Commissioner supervising the Osun election, Kunle Ajayi, said the late court decision forced the commission to adjust its preparations but did not disrupt its logistical arrangements.
Ajayi said the commission worked continuously to reproduce the sensitive materials and moved them to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before distributing them to all 30 local government areas.
He said the commission had also completed the distribution without recording any major incident during transportation.
Ajayi dismissed reports that the ballot papers were printed outside Nigeria, saying INEC had engaged reputable local printers since the 2023 general elections.
On result transmission, the INEC official assured voters that polling-unit results would be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), although network connectivity and data traffic could affect how quickly results appear.
He clarified that IReV was designed to display polling-unit results and not to collate or calculate the final outcome.
Ajayi expressed confidence in the commission’s preparedness, assuring that polling units would open on time.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has imposed a movement restriction across Osun State from midnight on Friday to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday as part of measures to ensure a peaceful election.
The police also reiterated its ban on the participation of the Amotekun Corps, vigilante groups and other non-state security organisations in election-related security operations.
The Force said only security agencies established under Nigerian law were authorised to perform security and law-enforcement duties during the election.
President Bola Tinubu has urged voters to participate peacefully and directed INEC and security agencies to ensure a free, fair and credible election.
The president also called on security personnel to protect voters and electoral officials and prevent any attempt to disrupt the democratic process.
The Osun governorship election is being closely watched as the final off-cycle poll before the 2027 general elections.