CDD Reports Peaceful Osun Governorship Election in 2026

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) stated that the 2026 Osun governorship election was generally peaceful, with some operational challenges. In a preliminary statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, signed by Dr Dauda Garuba and Prof. Victor Adetula, the CDD-West Africa monitored the election across Osun’s 30 Local Government Areas, 332 registration areas, and 3,763 polling units.

They reported that 89.1% of observed polling units had officials arrive before 8:30 a.m., while 10.9% arrived between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. However, delays were noted in Ife Central and Aiyedire.

The CDD-EAC identified issues with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), including slow processing and biometric verification difficulties. Concerns about vote buying were raised, with reports of solicitation in Ilesa East and Ola Oluwa, and an arrest in Irepodun for possessing signed paper tallies.

The CDD-EAC urged investigations into these allegations and called for security agencies to remain neutral and protect voters.