…..The EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub says Saturday’s poll faces security and transparency risks, while the International Press Centre unveils an AI-assisted WhatsApp system for reporting attacks on journalists.

Election observers have identified vote buying, political violence and uncertainty over how electronic results will be validated and published as major risks ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State.

The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub (EU-SDGN EOH) raised the concerns on Friday, a day before voters across the state are due to choose their next governor.

The group said it would deploy 843 observers across Osun’s 30 local government areas to monitor the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has scheduled the election for 15 August 2026, with 14 political parties taking part. The commission says 2,339,233 eligible voters are on the final register across 3,763 polling units.

The election matters beyond Osun because it is one of the last major electoral tests before Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

The observers said the poll would provide an opportunity to assess how recent changes to Nigeria’s electoral framework work in practice, particularly the electronic transmission and management of results.

Vote buying identified as biggest threat

The EU-SDGN hub described vote buying and voter inducement as the highest threat to the credibility of Saturday’s election.

It said reports of financial and material inducements had emerged during the campaign period, but did not provide evidence or details of specific incidents in its briefing.

The group urged authorities to investigate and prosecute people involved in vote buying rather than relying only on warnings.

INEC has previously said it is working with anti-corruption agencies to tackle electoral offences. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), for example, has said it would support efforts against vote buying and inducement.

The issue is significant because financial inducement can affect voters’ choices while making it harder to determine whether an election result reflects genuine voter preferences.

The observers also warned about misinformation and inflammatory political communication, particularly on social media.

Brenda Anugwom, CEO, Nigerian Women Trust Fund

They called on journalists and civil society groups to verify information before publication and to use conflict-sensitive reporting to prevent false claims from escalating tensions.

Security concerns remain

The hub classified Osun’s election security environment as high risk overall.

It said two local government areas were rated critical risk, 11 high risk and 17 moderate or low risk, citing political violence, disputes over local government control, criminal activity and misinformation.

The group referred to reports of attacks on political figures and offices, shootings, abductions and violence around campaign activities.

It also raised concerns about alleged police brutality, illegal arrests, excessive use of force and extrajudicial killings.

However, those allegations were presented by the observers as concerns requiring attention, rather than established findings from the Saturday election.

The hub urged security agencies to remain neutral and professional, particularly because their conduct could influence public confidence in the election.

The Nigeria Police Force is leading election security operations, with support expected from the military and other agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

INEC says it is ready

INEC has repeatedly said it is ready for the election.

At a stakeholders’ meeting in Osogbo in July, INEC chairman Joash Amupitan said the commission had completed the voter register and was prepared to conduct the election across the state’s 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units.

The commission has also established 97 Super Registration Area Centres and 105 Registration Area Centres to support the early deployment of election personnel and materials.

Earlier preparations provided for 4,427 BVAS devices, including 664 backup units.

The EU-SDGN briefing, however, said INEC had increased the number of devices to 5,130, including 1,367 backups, following a mock accreditation exercise.

The observers said the mock exercise on 1 August exposed problems with some BVAS devices recognising voters’ biometric information.

They said INEC subsequently reported that the problems had been resolved.

New electoral law puts focus on results transmission

One of the most important concerns raised by the observers involves the electronic transmission of results.

Section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires presiding officers to electronically transmit polling unit results to INEC’s Result Viewing Portal, known as IReV. If electronic transmission fails because of communication problems, the signed physical Form EC8A remains the primary source for collation and declaration.

The observers questioned the introduction of an additional electronic result form or validation process which, they said, had not been sufficiently explained to the public.

They argued that voters should know exactly how results move from the polling unit to the final declaration, including what happens when electronically transmitted results differ from physical copies.

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The group also criticised the current publication of results on IReV because, according to its assessment, the portal does not provide citizens with a complete view of results at every stage of collation.

That concern goes to the heart of electoral transparency.

In the 2022 Osun governorship election, INEC’s electronic result system became an important source for journalists and election observers seeking to compare polling-unit results. An INEC-hosted report noted that results from all 3,763 polling units were downloaded from IReV for analysis.

The new Electoral Act now gives electronic transmission a clearer statutory basis, raising expectations that the process should be both technically reliable and publicly understandable.

Women, young voters and people with disabilities

The observers also highlighted concerns about inclusive participation.

They said women, young people and persons with disabilities remain underrepresented in political participation despite making up significant proportions of the electorate.

They urged INEC, political parties, security agencies and civil society groups to remove practical barriers, including transport difficulties and inadequate access to assistive devices.

INEC has previously said it would provide measures such as Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses and priority voting access for persons with disabilities and other vulnerable voters.

The effectiveness of those measures will depend on whether voters can actually access them at polling units on election day.

Journalists get new incident-reporting system

Lanre Arogundade, Executive Director, International Press Centre.

The International Press Centre also announced a pilot technology platform called WAFLO to help journalists report attacks and other incidents during the election.

Lanre Arogundade, executive director of the International Press Centre, said the WhatsApp-based system would allow journalists to report incidents involving assaults, threats and other restrictions on media freedom.

He said the system would later be expanded for the 2027 general elections.

The centre urged journalists to carry their accreditation documents, identification cards and professional credentials while covering the election.

It also asked security agencies to respect journalists’ right to report from polling and collation locations.

The initiative could help create a quicker record of attacks against journalists, but its usefulness will depend on how quickly reports are verified and acted upon.

What happens next?

Voters will go to the polls on Saturday, 15 August.

INEC says polling units will operate across all 30 local government areas, while election officials and security personnel are expected to move into position before voting begins.

The EU-SDGN observers have urged political parties to respect the peace agreement signed before the election and to challenge disputed results through legal channels rather than violence.

For voters, the central issue will be whether they can cast their ballots freely and whether their votes can be followed through a transparent counting and results process.

The observers’ warning therefore places responsibility on more than INEC. Political parties, security agencies, voters, journalists and technology providers will all play a role in determining whether Osun’s 2026 election strengthens confidence ahead of the much larger 2027 electoral cycle.

The Nigeria Police Force has deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ishyaku Mohammed to Osun State to coordinate security operations for Saturday’s governorship election.

The deployment comes three days before the 15 August poll, as authorities prepare to secure 3,763 polling units across the state.

The police said DIG Mohammed would lead its election-security operations and work with other agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES). Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and Commissioners of Police will support him across Osun’s three senatorial districts.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, announced the deployment in a statement on Wednesday on behalf of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu.

Police warn against electoral offences

The police said their arrangements would cover voters, election officials, electoral materials, polling units, collation centres, accredited observers and journalists before, during and after the election.

IGP Disu warned politicians, their supporters and other potential troublemakers against ballot snatching, voter intimidation, political thuggery and other electoral offences.

He said offenders would face arrest and prosecution.

The police also repeated a ban on armed escorts and unauthorised security personnel accompanying politicians or VIPs to polling units and collation centres.

State-established security outfits, quasi-security groups and private security organisations are also barred from performing election-security duties under the police directive.

The restriction is not entirely new. The police have issued similar orders during previous Nigerian elections, including directives that politicians and public officials should not take their security details into polling units.

Why the security operation matters

Security will be central to the credibility of Saturday’s election because voters need to reach polling units and cast their ballots without intimidation.

The election will involve 2,339,233 eligible voters across 30 local government areas, 332 wards and 3,763 polling units, according to figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Fourteen political parties are taking part.

INEC says it has also prepared 3,763 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices for the polling units, with another 664 available as backups. The commission plans to use the devices to upload polling-unit results to its Result Viewing Portal.

This means security failures could affect more than public safety. Disruption at polling units, attacks on election personnel or interference with materials could undermine the voting and result-management process.

What happened in the last Osun election?

The 2022 Osun governorship election provides a useful comparison.

The CLEEN Foundation reported that most of the polling units it observed were orderly and that 89.3% of its observers felt safe at their polling units. It also found that security personnel generally behaved well, although some polling units recorded concerns about their conduct.

But security was not the only concern.

FIDA Nigeria reported incidents of vote trading in about 16% of the polling units covered by its observers in 2022. It also found that security personnel were perceived as impartial in only 52% of the polling units observed, although 80% were considered very secure at the close of voting.

Those findings suggest that a peaceful election requires more than a large police presence. Security agencies must also act impartially and within the law.

ALSO READ: Police Warn of Arrest for Electoral Violence Ahead of Osun Governorship Election

Police face scrutiny as well

The police have said their election officers must remain professional, neutral and respectful of human rights.

In May, IGP Disu told a delegation that the Force was using intelligence mapping to tackle political violence, cult activity and intimidation. He also said officers deployed for elections would receive training on rules of engagement and human-rights protection.

The test will now be whether those commitments are reflected at polling units on election day.

A heavy security presence can deter violence, but it can also raise concerns if officers are perceived as favouring particular political interests. The conduct of individual officers will therefore be as important as the number deployed.

What happens next?

The police are expected to complete their deployment and coordination arrangements ahead of Saturday’s vote.

For voters, the immediate priority is to follow election-day instructions, avoid confrontation and report incidents through appropriate channels rather than attempting to intervene themselves.

For political parties and candidates, the police warning means that their supporters and security details will face closer scrutiny around polling and collation centres.

INEC, meanwhile, remains responsible for conducting the election and managing the voting process. Its preparations, including the deployment of BVAS and election materials, will run alongside the security operation.

The success of Saturday’s election will ultimately depend not only on whether violence is prevented, but also on whether voters can participate freely and whether security agencies maintain neutrality throughout the process.

An African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has asked President Bola Tinubu and Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu to investigate remarks by former Ikwerre Local Government chairman Samuel Nwanosike about former Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Chief Eze said the remarks, which reportedly warned that the political contest ahead of the 2027 elections would be taken to Amaechi’s “bedroom”, could heighten tensions in Rivers State.

Why the dispute matters

The exchange comes as political competition intensifies ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

Amaechi, a former governor and transport minister, joined the ADC earlier this year. The party has since selected him as the running mate to its presidential candidate, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, giving him a prominent role in the opposition’s campaign.

Nwanosike, a former chairman of Ikwerre LGA and ally of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has previously criticised Mr Amaechi’s political influence.

In August 2025, Nwanosike said  Amaechi and former Rivers governor Celestine Omehia would not win their polling units in the 2027 elections.

The latest dispute therefore reflects a longer-running political rivalry in Rivers State rather than an isolated disagreement.

Eze asks police to examine the remarks

Chief Eze, a former national publicity secretary of the now-defunct New People’s Democratic Party, said politicians should contest elections through policies and records rather than intimidation.

“Politics is a contest of ideas, competence, records and the confidence of the people; it should never be reduced to threats, intimidation or references to a man’s bedroom,” he said.

He also questioned why Nwanosike continued to focus on Amaechi if he believed the former governor no longer had significant political influence.

“If Nwanosike believes Amaechi has no political relevance, why the obsession with him? Why the threats? Why the repeated references to his person? The truth is that those who genuinely believe a political structure is dead do not spend their time warning it; they simply defeat it at the polls,” Chief Eze said.

Chief Eze urged the police to determine whether Nwanosike’s words amounted to a genuine threat or were simply political rhetoric.

“As much as it is not my intention to join issues with this low character of a fellow but let me reiterate that President Tinubu and IGP Olatunji Rilwan should investigate the evil outburst that represents what Nyesom Wike taught them and invite him to explain how he intends to carry out his threat against a National figure like Rt. Hon. Barr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi,” he said.

The statement contains several insults directed at Nwanosike and Wike. Those descriptions are Chief Eze’s opinions and have not been independently established as facts.

A history of political rivalry

Relations between Amaechi and Wike have been politically hostile for more than a decade.

Wike succeeded  Amaechi as Rivers governor in 2015 after serving in his administration as chief of staff. Their rivalry later became a major feature of Rivers politics.

The conflict has at various times involved allegations over government property, political control and electoral influence. In 2015, Wike accused the outgoing administration of vandalising the Rivers State Government House, while  Amaechi denied the allegations and accused Wike of using them to damage his reputation.

The political contest has also had wider security implications.

In March 2025, President Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers State amid a political crisis and concerns over pipeline vandalism. He suspended the governor, deputy governor and state lawmakers and appointed a caretaker administrator.

The episode demonstrated how political disputes in the oil-producing state can quickly acquire wider security and economic consequences.

What is different ahead of 2027?

Amaechi’s current position gives the dispute a national dimension.

The ADC formally announced him as Atiku’s running mate in June 2026 after he emerged as runner-up in the party’s presidential primary.

That means political attacks involving Amaechi in Rivers State could resonate beyond the state, particularly if the opposition coalition uses Rivers as an important base during the 2027 campaign.

Nwanosike’s earlier political messaging has focused on electoral strength rather than evidence of wrongdoing. In 2025, for example, he challenged Amaechi and Omehia to demonstrate their political influence at their polling units.

Chief Eze, however, wants the debate to focus on what politicians have delivered to Rivers residents.

“If you have a case against Amaechi, bring it to the people. If you believe he failed Ikwerre, provide the evidence. If you believe your political camp has performed better, present the records. But Rivers State should not be dragged into a politics of threats, personal attacks and political vendettas,” he said.

What happens next?

There is no indication in Chief Eze’s statement that the police or the presidency has opened an investigation into Nwanosike’s remarks.

Any investigation would need to establish the exact words used, the context in which they were made and whether they meet the legal threshold for a criminal threat.

The Nigeria Police Force is currently headed by IGP Disu, who became the country’s 23rd indigenous Inspector-General of Police in February 2026.

For Rivers residents, the immediate issue is whether political rhetoric remains within the boundaries of democratic competition or develops into threats, intimidation or violence.

The 2027 election campaign is still developing, but the latest exchange shows why political actors and security agencies will face pressure to prevent inflammatory language from escalating into real-world violence.