By: Goodluck E.Adubazi, Abuja.
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has described the just-concluded Osun State governorship election as a litmus test for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address identified shortcomings in the deployment of technology and strengthen the electoral process.
The Situation Room also called for the establishment of an independent Electoral Offences Commission to investigate and prosecute electoral offences, particularly vote-buying, voter inducement, intimidation and other forms of electoral malpractice.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday, Co-Convenor of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Mma Odi, said lessons from the Osun election must be urgently applied to the preparation for the 2027 elections.
The Situation Room, which monitored the August 15 Osun governorship election through its partner networks, said the poll was largely peaceful, with voters in many locations able to exercise their franchise without widespread disruption.
It, however, raised concerns over logistical and technological challenges experienced during accreditation and voting, particularly difficulties associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), facial authentication and the uploading of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
According to the Situation Room, these challenges contributed to delays in accreditation and voting in some polling units and could affect public confidence in the electoral process if not properly addressed ahead of 2027.
It said technology remained an important instrument for improving transparency and credibility, but stressed that technology alone could not guarantee credible elections.
“Technology can strengthen transparency, but technology cannot guarantee credible elections,” the Situation Room said, stressing that electoral credibility requires the combined effectiveness of INEC, security agencies, the judiciary, political parties, civil society organisations, election observers and the media.
The group also expressed concern over reports of vote-buying and voter inducement during the Osun election, describing the practice as a direct assault on the principle of free choice and democratic participation.
It urged security agencies to strengthen mechanisms for preventing and prosecuting electoral offences, including vote-buying, voter intimidation and harassment.
Also speaking, the Situation Room, Secretary Coordinator, Agianpe Onyema further called on political parties to deepen internal democracy and issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 elections, saying Nigerian voters should be presented with clear policy choices rather than campaigns dominated by inducements and personality politics.
It also urged the National Assembly to expedite legislative and constitutional reforms aimed at strengthening the electoral process and resolving outstanding issues surrounding electoral dispute resolution.
The organisation said electoral disputes should be resolved within clearly defined timelines, while ensuring that political parties and candidates have adequate opportunities to present and challenge evidence.
On security, the Situation Room commended security personnel for their largely professional conduct during the Osun election but called for further improvement in the prevention of violence and intimidation before, during and after elections.
It also urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to respect electoral laws and court decisions and to pursue grievances through lawful channels.
The group said the relatively peaceful conduct of the Osun election provided important lessons for Nigeria’s democratic development, but warned that identified weaknesses must be addressed before the 2027 general elections.
It therefore called on INEC to improve the reliability of BVAS and IReV, strengthen logistics and voter education, and ensure that election officials are adequately trained to operate the technology.
The Situation Room also urged the government and National Assembly to establish an effective mechanism for investigating and prosecuting electoral offences, noting that persistent impunity could undermine public confidence in elections.
As Nigeria moves towards the 2027 general elections, the civil society coalition urged all stakeholders—including INEC, political parties, security agencies, the judiciary, National Assembly, media and civil society—to build on the positive lessons from Osun while urgently addressing the weaknesses identified.
It said Nigeria’s democracy must move beyond elections that are merely conducted to elections that are demonstrably credible, transparent, accountable and capable of reflecting the genuine choice of voters.
