KDI Urges INEC to Fix Gaps for 2027 Elections

Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) released a final post-election report on Thursday in Abuja, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, political parties, and civil society to address critical gaps identified during the 2026 Osun governorship election. KDI emphasized that Osun served as a crucial test run before the 2027 general elections, revealing weaknesses that must be addressed despite the largely peaceful process.

The organization called for improved election-day operational preparedness, particularly regarding the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which recorded an 84.9% success rate in Osun. KDI noted that elderly voters faced significant challenges with both fingerprint and facial recognition modalities.

The report also highlighted the need for better crisis communication during interruptions of the IReV portal, which paused for over two hours without public explanation. KDI urged INEC to clarify e-EC8A validation rules and warned that the lack of clarity could lead to uncertainties during election petitions.