A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Yiaga Africa, has expressed concern over the prevailing tension ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, saying it may discourage voters from coming out to vote.

The Chairperson of the Osun Election Observation Mission of Yiaga Africa, Dr Asmau Maikudi, raised the concern at a pre-election press conference on Thursday in Osogbo.

The Chairperson of the Osun Election Observation Mission of Yiaga Africa, Dr Asmau Maikudi, and the organisation’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, raised the concern at a pre-election press conference on Thursday in Osogbo.

She stressed the need for stakeholders to create a peaceful and conducive environment for voters to cast their ballots without fear or intimidation.

According to her, while preparations for the election were broadly on track, the credibility of the process will ultimately depend on the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on election day.

“The electoral umpire had undertaken key preparatory activities across the 30 Local Government Areas, including Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) distribution, recruitment and training of election officials, mock accreditation, BVAS configuration, stakeholder engagement and election security coordination.

“Election-day credibility will depend on timely deployment, reliable technology, consistent application of the law and effective contingency planning,” she said.

She noted that PVC collection was disrupted in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas, limiting some voters’ ability to obtain their cards.

The chairperson noted that though INEC had announced plans to enable affected voters to download electronic PVCs, limited access to digital services could prevent some eligible voters from benefiting from the measure.

“This increases the risk of voter disenfranchisement,” she said.

Speaking on security concerns, Ms Maikudi said incidents documented in the weeks preceding the election indicated a troubling shift towards direct disruption of electoral activities and contestation over strategic public spaces.

She cited the attack on a PVC collection centre in the Odo-Otin Local Government Area, politically linked violence in the Osogbo Local Government and disputes over the control of motor parks as developments that had heightened security risks surrounding the election.

“Yiaga Africa expressed concern over the escalation of incendiary rhetoric and hate speech attributed to political actors. Such rhetoric could legitimise violence, deepen partisan hostility and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

“We called for intelligence-led, coordinated and strictly impartial security deployment, with enhanced protection for electoral personnel, facilities, materials and voters,” Ms Maikudi said.

She added that security and law enforcement agencies must investigate and prosecute electoral violence, threats, hate speech and related offences without regard to political status, party affiliation or influence.

Ms Maikudi warned that unresolved technical problems could disenfranchise eligible voters, generate tension at polling units and undermine confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of the election.

She called for more inclusive and targeted voter education ahead of the election, stressing that political awareness and civic engagement should remain high, particularly among women, youths and persons with disabilities.

She added, “Yiaga Africa identified voter inducement as a significant integrity risk and had documented the distribution of money and gift items by political actors.

“Some of the distributions were presented as social interventions or charitable support, but their timing and proximity to campaign activities raised concerns about voter inducement and undue influence.

“On voter education, the organisation said activities had expanded since July 1, led largely by INEC, civil society organisations and the National Orientation Agency.”

Ms Maikudi, however, warned that pre-election violence, inflammatory rhetoric and persistent distrust in the process could suppress voter participation on election day.

(NAN)