The Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to explain the interruption in the electronic upload of polling-unit results on its IReV portal during the 2026 Osun State Governorship Election.
KDI said the upload of results stopped at about 8:30 p.m. on Election Day and remained suspended for more than two hours, at a critical period when political parties, observers and citizens were monitoring the electronic transmission of results.
The organisation said its observers did not witness any public explanation from INEC on the cause of the disruption or when the service would resume.
According to KDI, timely communication during disruptions involving electronic result transmission is essential to prevent uncertainty, misinformation and public anxiety.
The organisation disclosed this as part of its preliminary assessment of the election, monitored through an Election Day Data Room that received and analysed reports from observers across the state.
KDI deployed 370 accredited observers across Osun’s 30 Local Government Areas, 332 wards and 1,660 polling units to monitor election administration, technology, voter access, political conduct, security, voter inducement and election-related incidents.
Its preliminary analysis of results uploaded on the IReV portal also identified discrepancies in some polling-unit results.
KDI reported 260 polling units with arithmetic errors or inconsistencies, 82 cases where accredited voters exceeded votes cast, and 11 polling units with discrepancies involving registered voters.
However, the group cautioned that differences between accreditation figures and votes cast should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of electoral malpractice.
It cited figures from the State Collation Centre showing 1,010,684 accredited voters against 1,005,800 votes cast, representing a difference of 4,884 voters.
KDI said the figures highlighted the need for proper reconciliation between accreditation data and results at different stages of the electoral process.
The organisation also questioned the effectiveness and transparency of INEC’s electronic EC8A validation process, saying discrepancies identified through its independent analysis raised concerns about how the validation mechanism works and how detected inconsistencies are resolved.
It further called for greater legal clarity on the status of the electronic EC8A under the Electoral Act 2026 and the 1999 Constitution, as amended, particularly regarding its relationship with the physical EC8A used during election result management.
KDI urged INEC to strengthen its election-day preparedness, improve BVAS functionality and technical support, and establish more effective crisis communication mechanisms for the IReV portal.
The organisation said stakeholders should receive prompt and accurate information whenever technical problems affect the electronic transmission of results.
Beyond result management, KDI reported that its observers recorded an 84.9 per cent BVAS accreditation success rate, with fingerprint authentication difficulties observed in some locations and facial recognition widely used as an alternative.
It also reported cases of voter inducement across all 30 LGAs, with alleged payments ranging from N5,000 to N50,000.
The group said it verified 17 election-related violence incidents across 10 LGAs, involving more than 44 victims.
Despite the challenges, KDI described the election as largely peaceful, noting that most observed polling units conducted voting and had election materials available.
It, however, stressed that peaceful voting alone does not guarantee electoral credibility, which also depends on voter freedom, consistent application of electoral rules, professionalism of electoral and security officials, reliable technology, accurate result collation and transparent communication.
KDI said the lessons from the Osun election should guide electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 General Elections and help INEC address vulnerabilities in technology, result management and institutional accountability.
The organisation emphasised that its findings were based on observer reports, verification and analysis and did not constitute certification or validation of the official election results.
The assessment was supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, and the National Endowment for Democracy, NED.
Members of the KDI panel of experts at the press conference included retired AIG Abutu Yaro, KDI Executive Director Bukola Idowu, Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, Prof. Ernest Ereke and Olusola Babalola.