Osun Elections 2026: TMG praises INEC and voters, calls for protection of votes

The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), a group that supports democracy, has praised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and voters in Osun State for how Saturday’s governorship election was handled. They urged political leaders and the courts to protect the votes given by the people.

TMG noted that the election was mostly free of major problems in many areas. Results were generally uploaded in real-time on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

The group shared this view in a statement on Sunday by its chairman, Auwal Musa, who is also the executive director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC).

Mr Umar, also known as Rafsanjani, said the Osun election showed that Nigeria can improve its electoral process when INEC’s systems work well. He mentioned that the commission deserves praise for its successes, while Nigerians should keep asking for more transparency and accountability from INEC.

"INEC deserves commendation where it gets things right. The Osun experience shows that the Commission can conduct a transparent election, especially with the right use of technology and real-time results transmission," he said.

TMG added that not all blame for electoral problems should fall on INEC. They pointed out that practices like vote buying, voter intimidation, and thuggery are often carried out by politicians and their agents. They called for accountability for those who engage in such actions.

The group also called on the judiciary to defend genuine electoral mandates. They want to ensure that post-election disputes do not weaken the will of the voters. TMG recognized the role of the courts in settling election disputes but stated that electoral litigation should boost confidence in the voting process and not be a way to change voters' choices through technicalities or political tricks.

This statement came after Mr Adeleke was declared the winner of the election by the State Returning Officer, Joshua Ogunwole, at the state collation centre in Osogbo on Sunday. Mr Adeleke, representing the Accord Party, received 511,067 votes, defeating his main rival, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who got 444,815 votes.

The governor won by a margin of 66,252 votes, while Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) came in third with 17,180 votes. A total of 2,339,544 voters were registered for the election, with 1,010,684 accredited. Out of the 1,005,800 votes cast, 985,079 were valid while 20,721 were rejected.

TMG also praised Osun voters for their peaceful participation in the election, despite reports of vote buying, intimidation, and other attempts to influence voters. They said the result should warn politicians who think money, violence, and voter suppression can decide elections.

The group urged candidates and political parties that took part in the election to accept the results and use proper legal ways to address any real issues. Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, TMG urged Nigerians to take more responsibility in choosing their leaders. They should obtain and protect their Permanent Voter Cards, show up to vote, and not sell their votes.

Voters were also encouraged to judge candidates based on their character, competence, track record, and plans, rather than religion, ethnicity, region, or party loyalty. "Democracy is strengthened by informed and brave voters. Nigerians must not sell their votes and should evaluate candidates on their character, competence, track record, and credible plans for the country," TMG said.

The group called on INEC to build on the successes seen in Osun by improving its election technology, logistics, voter accreditation, results transmission, and public communication before 2027. They also urged security and law enforcement agencies to do more against vote buying, intimidation, thuggery, and other electoral crimes.

TMG pointed out that the experience in Osun, along with recent elections in Anambra, Ondo, Edo, and Ekiti states, shows that peaceful elections are possible when electoral processes are credible and the voters' choices are respected.