The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has extended the collection of the permanent voter cards (PVC) to Friday, July 31, ahead of the Osun governorship election.
The governorship election in Osun state has been scheduled for August 15.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Osun governorship election stakeholders’ forum in Osogbo, the state capital, Joash Amupitan, INEC’s chairman, said the extension is aimed at encouraging greater participation in the poll.
Amupitan said the commission is ready to conduct a free, fair, credible and peaceful election, noting that 322,822 newly registered voters, representing 62 percent eligible registrants, had collected their PVCs.
He said the commission had completed its logistical, technological and operational preparations and is fully prepared to conduct an election that reflects the will of the people.
He also said a mock accreditation exercise would be held on Saturday, August 1, across 12 selected LGAs to test the functionality of the bimodal voter accreditation System (BVAS).
Oluwatoyin Babalola, resident electoral commissioner (REC) for Osun, said all 3,763 BVAS devices required for the election had been configured and fully charged, with 1,328 backup machines set aside for contingencies.
Babalola said the number of registered voters in the state increased from 1,954,800 to 2,339,233.
She added that non-sensitive materials had been distributed to the LGAs, while sensitive materials were being kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Osogbo.
The REC said training for ad hoc staff would be held from July 31 to August 9.
Kunle Ajayi, INEC’s supervising national commissioner for Osun, cautioned political parties against inflammatory rhetoric, voter intimidation and vote buying.
Ajayi said anyone found violating the Electoral Act would face the full weight of the law, adding that the commission had invested heavily in election logistics, voter education, personnel training and technology to enhance transparency and credibility.
He, however, called on security agencies, the media and civil society organisations (CSOs) to remain professional and impartial in supporting the electoral process.
