Youth assessors report 43.2% voter turnout, 78% successful IReV uploads, commend INEC on downloadable PVCs
By Suleiman Aremu | Solaremnews
The New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD), South-West Coordinator of the Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija), has raised concerns over vote buying and gaps in the electronic transmission of election results during the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.
NIGAWD, in a statement issued on August 19, 2026, said its assessment was based on real-time observations and reports from young people deployed across the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state as Youth Election Legal Compliance Assessors.
The organisation said it trained 33 youth assessors to conduct voter education and get-out-the-vote campaigns before the election, while also monitoring the implementation of provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 during the election.
According to the organisation, its voter education activities reached 32,093 people through physical engagements, while voter education and get-out-the-vote jingles broadcast on four radio stations had an estimated reach of five million people.
It added that the campaign also organised live radio programmes involving young people and electoral stakeholders, including the police, while issuing press statements, publishing newspaper opinions and making more than 100 posts across its social media platforms.
NIGAWD said it had earlier organised a high-level roundtable involving Osun youths, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police and other electoral stakeholders, during which INEC and the police committed themselves to delivering a credible and secure election.
The organisation explained that its Youth Election Legal Compliance Assessment was designed to enable young Nigerians who had participated in or supported the YERP-Naija campaign to observe the practical implementation of electoral reforms at their polling units.
The assessment focused particularly on youth participation, the use of downloadable Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs), and the completion, display and electronic transmission of Form EC8A result sheets to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
NIGAWD said it received 36 structured polling-unit-level submissions from its assessors across the state.
On youth participation, the organisation said its assessors recorded what it described as fairly good youth turnout during the election.
It said between 50 and 200 young voters turned out at 19, representing 53 per cent, of the 36 polling units covered by the assessment, while between 201 and 500 youths were recorded at eight, or 22.2 per cent, of the polling units.
The organisation further reported that first-time voters participated in 33, representing 92 per cent, of the 36 polling units assessed.
Although it stressed that the assessment was not scientific or representative of the entire state, NIGAWD said the findings were broadly consistent with the 43.2 per cent voter turnout recorded in the election, which represented a marginal increase over the 42.09 per cent turnout recorded during the 2022 Osun governorship election.
The organisation attributed part of the turnout to its statewide voter education and mobilisation efforts, despite security threats and loss of lives recorded around the election.
On downloadable PVCs, NIGAWD said they were presented at nine, representing 25 per cent, of the 36 polling units covered by its assessors.
It said none of the assessors reported an outright rejection of a downloadable PVC when presented to polling officials.
According to the organisation, downloadable PVCs were accepted immediately on five occasions, while they were accepted after clarification on eight occasions.
NIGAWD said its assessors also observed that polling officials were generally familiar with the rules and procedures governing downloadable PVCs, although some voters and party agents initially questioned the process.
The organisation commended INEC for allowing young people and other voters to use downloadable PVCs during the Osun election, noting that a similar commitment had not been fulfilled during the June 20, 2026 Ekiti governorship election.
It said it had consistently raised the issue with the INEC Chairman, the Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) and other electoral stakeholders, arguing that its sustained advocacy contributed to the availability of the option during the Osun election.
On result management, NIGAWD said its assessors observed that Form EC8A was completed at 34, representing 94 per cent, of the 36 polling units assessed.
The organisation said the result sheets were publicly displayed for inspection by party agents and observers at 32, or 89 per cent, of the polling units.
It further reported that presiding officials attempted to upload results to the IReV portal at 33, representing 92 per cent, of the polling units, while successful uploads from the polling units were recorded at 28, or 78 per cent, of the 36 polling units.
However, the organisation called on INEC to address technical and operational gaps in the result transmission system before the 2027 general elections.
It specifically cited a delay on the IReV portal between 8:48 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. on election night, urging the commission to prevent a recurrence.
NIGAWD also identified vote buying as the most consistently reported electoral integrity concern during the election.
It said vote buying was reported by assessors at more than half of the polling units covered, across multiple LGAs and involving multiple political parties.
The organisation said the reported practices ranged from open distribution of cash to arrangements involving the writing down of voters’ names for subsequent payment.
On the way forward, NIGAWD called on INEC to consolidate the improvements recorded in result management, particularly the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for uploading results to IReV.
It urged the commission to strengthen the result transmission process to avoid the technical difficulties experienced in previous elections and the delays observed during the Osun election.
The organisation also asked INEC to open up the result transmission process using Form E-EC8A to political parties and civil society organisations to improve transparency and accountability ahead of 2027.
It called for better information and stronger training for polling officials on the use of downloadable PVCs, as well as wider engagement with electoral stakeholders and publication of clear post-election lessons and corrective measures.
NIGAWD further urged INEC to improve the integrity of the voters’ register to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.
Political parties and candidates were advised to publicly reaffirm their commitment to peaceful political participation and issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The organisation also called on the police and other security agencies to conduct impartial and transparent investigations into reported cases of electoral violence, including incidents involving loss of lives and alleged incitement.
It urged the relevant authorities to prosecute perpetrators and accomplices where evidence exists, as a deterrent to electoral offenders ahead of 2027.
NIGAWD recommended structured post-election dialogue involving INEC, political parties, civil society organisations, youth representatives, persons with disabilities, women-led organisations, the media and other stakeholders.
Such engagements, it said, should produce clearly defined actions, responsible institutions and timelines for addressing weaknesses identified during the Osun election.
The organisation also urged civil society organisations and development partners to strengthen collaboration in addressing electoral manipulation, violence and voter apathy, while mobilising more citizens, particularly youths, to participate in the 2027 elections.
NIGAWD said it would continue documenting citizens’ experiences with electoral reforms, supporting youth participation in democratic processes and providing evidence from communities and polling units to ongoing electoral reform discussions.
The organisation maintained that the lessons from the Osun election would inform its voter education, youth civic engagement and legal compliance monitoring activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“Strong laws do not guarantee credible elections—implementation, accountability, and citizen trust do. Osun 2026 is a test of that principle,” NIGAWD/YERP-Naija South-West Situation Room stated.
NIGAWD is a youth- and women-led civil society organisation and the South-West Coordinator of YERP-Naija, a national consortium of youth-led and youth-focused organisations advocating electoral integrity and reforms in Nigeria.
YERP-Naija was formed after the 2023 general elections to advance electoral and constitutional reforms, including contributing to the Electoral Act 2026.
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