The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Friday commenced the distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials at its Osogbo Local Government Area office on Ilobu Road, as final preparations intensified ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.
The distribution, which forms part of the commission’s preparations to ensure the smooth conduct of the election, was captured in images from the Osogbo office as officials began moving materials to designated locations. According to INEC’s timeline, non-sensitive materials were scheduled to begin moving to local government areas on Thursday, August 13, ahead of the transfer of ballot papers and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to local government offices on Friday.
Security was visible around the exercise. The Nigeria Police Force embarked on a route march in Osogbo to bolster security even as INEC distributed the materials.
Alongside the non-sensitive materials, INEC also began distributing sensitive materials on Friday. INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Osun election, Kunle Ajayi, disclosed that the distribution of sensitive materials was taking place at the CBN office in Osogbo. Ajayi attributed an earlier delay to the late arrival of newly printed ballot papers and other materials from Abuja, following the recent inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the ballot for the election. He said the commission began the distribution process to ensure all materials reached their designated locations ahead of the poll.
Sensitive materials, including ballot papers and BVAS devices, had earlier been confirmed as warehoused at the CBN in Osogbo, with INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, saying the commission would not disclose exactly when they arrived, citing security concerns about potential ambush.
The Osun REC, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, has provided regular updates on preparedness in the lead-up to the poll:
A total of 2,339,233 voters are registered to participate in the election, up from 1,954,800 during the 2023 general elections, following the 2025/2026 Continuous Voter Registration exercise, which added 395,995 new voters, alongside 26,202 transfers into the state and 7,125 transfers out.
A total of 3,763 BVAS devices will be deployed across all polling units in the state for voter accreditation, with an additional 664 devices held back as backups.
The state’s 3,763 polling units are spread across 332 registration areas in 30 local government areas.
As of a Thursday update roughly a month before the vote, INEC said it had received about 95 per cent of the non-sensitive materials required for the election, an increase from the 80 per cent reported the previous week, with materials already deployed across the 30 local government areas.
More than 25,310 security personnel drawn from the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been deployed across Osun State ahead of the vote. INEC said it would also draw ad-hoc workers from a pool of more than 30,000 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, while soldiers were stationed at the commission’s Osun headquarters.
Civil society groups have urged INEC to ensure smooth logistics as the election approaches. The Campaign for Democracy, represented by its National Secretary, Comrade Femi Lawson, said observers reviewing the state’s preparations found that “from all indications, INEC appears ready for the election,” while urging the commission to ensure avoidable logistical or technological challenges do not undermine the process. The group also called on INEC to guarantee the prompt delivery of both sensitive and non-sensitive materials to all polling units, including contingency plans for difficult terrain and hard-to-reach areas, and urged political parties, the media and observers to closely monitor the movement of materials.
The group also raised concern over reports of political violence in parts of the state ahead of the election, condemning the incidents and calling on security agencies to investigate and prosecute those responsible.
Residents of Osun State are expected to head to the polls on Saturday, August 15, 2026, to elect the state’s next governor, amid heightened security and increased political activity across the state.
