Distinguished Colleagues,
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Election Working Group has commenced active observation of the Osun State Governorship Election, with its monitoring teams deployed across strategic polling units in the State to independently assess compliance with electoral laws and the overall conduct of the exercise.
Leading the national observation mission, the Chairman of the NBA Election Working Group, Mr. Festus Okoye, this morning confirmed that accreditation and voting commenced promptly at 8:30 a.m. at Polling Unit 005, Salvation Army Primary School, located in Atoja E Ward, Osogbo Local Government Area.
Speaking from the polling unit, Mr. Okoye observed that the election process began in an orderly manner, with electoral officials arriving on schedule and voters presenting themselves peacefully for accreditation and voting.
According to him, the atmosphere at the polling unit remains calm and conducive, while voter participation has been encouraging, with a significant turnout recorded during the early hours of the exercise.
The NBA observation team also visited Polling Unit 034 (Open Space) within the same Local Government Area, where another impressive turnout of voters was witnessed. Electoral activities were progressing smoothly, while security personnel maintained a visible presence around the polling units to ensure public order and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
The observation mission at Atoja E Ward, which also serves as the administrative ward for Osogbo Local Government Area, is being coordinated by the Chairman of the NBA Election Working Group alongside members of the NBA National Secretariat and officials of the NBA Osogbo Branch.
Following the strategic briefing held on Friday, NBA observers had been divided into several teams and deployed across different Local Government Areas and polling units to ensure broad coverage of the election and provide independent, objective, and professional reports throughout the day.
The NBA’s observation mission forms part of the Association’s longstanding commitment to promoting constitutional democracy, credible elections, the rule of law, and public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The Association’s observers will continue to monitor key indicators throughout the day, including the timely commencement of polls, voter accreditation, compliance with electoral procedures, security deployment, accessibility for voters, transparency of the process, and adherence to the Electoral Act and relevant INEC Guidelines.
Today’s observations are consistent with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s operational plan, which scheduled polling units across the State to open at 8:30 a.m. INEC had also announced that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Card holders are eligible to vote across 3,763 polling units in the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State, while deploying additional BVAS devices and backup equipment to support a seamless accreditation and voting process.
As the election progresses, the Nigerian Bar Association Election Working Group will continue to provide factual, independent and evidence-based reports from polling units across Osun State in line with international standards for election observation.
Stella Charles Akupue
Communication Officer
Nigerian Bar Association
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