The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, has directed commission officials to give priority attention to elderly voters during the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

Amupitan gave this directive on Saturday while inspecting the mock accreditation exercise across Osun State as part of preparations for the election.

The INEC chairman commended the inspection at Polling Unit 1, Ward 1, Post Office, St. Peter’s Primary School, Ibokun, in Obokun Local Government Area, where he monitored the operation of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and interacted with voters and election officials.

He later visited polling units Olorunsogo, Egbedore Local Government Area, Ibokun in Obokun Local Government Area and Ogo-Oluwa in Osogbo Local Government Area to assess the performance of the BVAS devices during the mock accreditation exercise.

At Olorunsogo Polling Unit 4, some voters reported a temporary malfunction of the BVAS device, which briefly delayed accreditation before INEC technical officials restored the machine to normal operation.

Speaking after the issue was resolved, a voter, Ayodele Samuel Abiodun, said, “The BVAS was not working well at first, but the officials quickly fixed the problem and accreditation continued without further delay. We appreciate INEC for responding promptly.”

The exercise also showed that both old and newly issued Permanent Voter Cards were successfully authenticated by the BVAS after the temporary glitch was resolved.

INEC said the mock accreditation was organised to test the functionality of the devices, identify possible technical issues and strengthen public confidence ahead of the Osun State governorship election.

The INEC chairman said, “So far, I have been to four polling units. My assessment so far is that we are happy that the machines are working ahead of the election.

“This is a mock accreditation, and the essence of the mock accreditation is to ensure that our tools, our Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), will work on the election day.

“And from what I have seen, I am happy that the BVAS are working.

“The initial problem that was encountered has to do with the old cards and when the complaints were laid we were able to solve that problem. As you have seen from here , the old card is now working , the new cards too are working.

“That is the essence of this accreditation, so that we don’t run into this problem during the election day. The ICT Director has confirmed that the problem is solved for good.”

Commending the election personnel, Amupitan praised their professionalism and urged them to maintain the same level of commitment during the August 15 governorship election.

He also reminded all election officials to arrive at their assigned polling units by 7:00 a.m. on election day to ensure adequate preparations before voting begins at 8:30 a.m.

Amupitan also held discussions with ad-hoc staff, seeking updates on the accreditation process and asking whether they had encountered any operational challenges while conducting the exercise.

The officials informed him that the BVAS devices were operating efficiently, explaining that facial biometric verification took about one minute, particularly for voters presenting newly issued Permanent Voter Cards.

They further stated that no major technical challenges had been recorded at the polling unit, adding that the accreditation process was progressing smoothly.

A civil society organisation, the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Citizens, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to explain the alleged widespread failure of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, during Saturday’s mock accreditation exercise ahead of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.

The coalition claimed that the exercise, organised to assess INEC’s readiness for the governorship poll, encountered significant technical challenges at selected polling units across the state, raising concerns over the commission’s preparedness.

In a statement issued by the its spokesperson, Comrade Raufu Sodiq, the organisation alleged that the exercise, scheduled to commence at 8:30 a.m., started late in some polling units.

According to the statement, “many BVAS devices reportedly stopped recognising fingerprints, facial features and Permanent Voter Cards less than 40 minutes after the exercise began, preventing the successful accreditation of eligible voters in the affected locations.”

The coalition described the alleged development as disturbing, noting that a mock accreditation exercise should ordinarily strengthen public confidence in the electoral process rather than generate fresh concerns about election preparations.

It stated that voter accreditation remains a critical stage of every election because it determines voter eligibility and safeguards the integrity of the electoral process.

The group questioned why the reported technical challenges allegedly occurred despite years of preparation and substantial public investment in electoral technology.

“We believe in strong democratic institutions and do not want to see INEC fail. However, public confidence must be built on competence, transparency and accountability. The people of Osun deserve an election where every eligible voter can cast their vote without avoidable technological failures,” the statement read.

The coalition urged the Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner and the national leadership of INEC to provide a comprehensive explanation of the alleged BVAS malfunction and disclose measures being taken to prevent a recurrence during the August 15 governorship election.

Among its demands, the organisation asked INEC to “clarify whether the reported glitches resulted from software, hardware or configuration problems and explain its contingency plans for the state’s 3,763 polling units.”

It also called on the electoral commission to replace any faulty BVAS machines and consider conducting another mock accreditation exercise before the governorship election to restore public confidence in the electoral process.

The group further appealed to the INEC Chairman to personally address Nigerians before the election by explaining the outcome of the mock accreditation exercise, outlining corrective measures and assuring voters that all identified technical challenges would be resolved.

Meanwhile, the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan in a response to the glitch said it was attributed to the old Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs.

The INEC Chairman however said the issue has been resolved and the mock accreditation has resumed successfully.

NEC organised the mock accreditation exercise to test the functionality of the BVAS and other electoral processes ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has published credentials and personal details of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC also published details of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabi’u Kwankwaso, alongside those of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Atiku Abubakar.

DAILY POST reports that Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act states that INEC is required to make candidates’ personal particulars public within 21 days of receiving them, allowing voters and stakeholders to scrutinise the documents submitted by aspirants.

Details published include certificates of academic qualifications and other supporting documents submitted by candidates seeking elective offices.

The publication of the documents comes ahead of the official commencement of campaigns for the 2027 presidential election on August 19.