Osun Election: Vote-Buying and Glitches Mar an Otherwise Peaceful Poll

Nigeria’s Osun State governorship election on Saturday was largely peaceful, but monitoring groups reported isolated cases of vote-buying and technical failures, according to the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD). The CDD, which deployed observers across the state, said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)—the electronic device used to verify voters’ identities—experienced operational problems. These included slow processing and biometric verification failures, which caused delays at several polling units. Despite these issues, the CDD noted that the overall atmosphere was calm. In some locations, security personnel were seen directing party agents to move away from voters and ballot boxes, a move aimed at reducing interference. The election, tagged #OsunDecides2026, saw voters turn out to choose their next governor. The CDD’s assessment suggests that while the process was not perfect, it avoided the widespread violence that has sometimes marred Nigerian elections.