The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that it printed millions of ballot papers and result sheets within 36 hours after a court judgment ordered the inclusion of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
INEC National Commissioner supervising the Osun election, Kunle Ajayi, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, assuring voters that the commission was fully prepared for the poll.
Ajayi said the late judgment forced INEC to modify its preparations at short notice but did not disrupt its logistics.
“In spite of the fact that the thing came late, we were able to print all ballot papers, millions, within 36 hours, because hours had no meaning to us anymore. Days had no meaning to us anymore.
“We were working day and night as if it were day. So, we were able to complete the printing, and we moved all the materials, all the sensitive materials, ballots, everything, to the Central Bank yesterday, late last night,” he said.
He explained that the judgment came after INEC had already printed and moved the sensitive electoral materials, leaving the commission with only a few days to comply with the order.
According to Ajayi, INEC first obtained a certified copy of the judgment and verified its authenticity before taking steps to implement the order.
The commission had earlier announced that it would include SDP candidate Francis Ajala and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, on the ballot in compliance with a Federal High Court judgment delivered on July 22, 2026.
Their inclusion increased the number of political parties participating in the election from 14 to 15.
Ajayi said the sensitive materials were subsequently distributed across all 30 local government areas in the state.
“Because of that judgment, we moved from Abuja to the Central Bank very late. But in spite of that, we were able to distribute to all the 30 local governments without missing any and without any issue on the road. We finished about 5am this morning to distribute the materials to the local government,” he said.
The INEC commissioner also dismissed reports that the ballot papers were printed outside Nigeria, saying the commission had deliberately patronised reputable local printers since the 2023 general elections.
INEC Assures Voters of Transparent Results
On the electronic transmission and public viewing of results, Ajayi assured voters that polling-unit results would be uploaded to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“I can assure you of that. All the results will go on IReV,” he said.
He explained that results would be uploaded as they were completed at polling units, although network connectivity and data volume could affect how quickly they appeared on the portal.
“As they are doing the analysis at the polling units, they will be transmitted to the IReV. That is all I know,” Ajayi said.
He also clarified that IReV was designed primarily to display polling-unit results and was not intended to serve as a collation or vote-counting platform.
“The IReV is not an adding machine. It’s not an adding system. The IReV is meant for the display of results from the PUs. That is what IReV is meant for,” he said.
Ajayi further assured Nigerians that INEC would continue to improve the speed and efficiency of result transmission.
INEC Declares Readiness
Ajayi reiterated the commission’s readiness for the election, saying polling units would open on schedule.
“I want to state categorically that we are absolutely ready for this election, 100%, not even 99.5%, 100% ready,” he said.
Asked when voting would begin, he responded, “Polls will open early. By 8:30, it will open.”
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for Saturday, August 15, with 2,339,233 registered voters expected to participate across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The election was initially scheduled for August 8 and is being closely watched as a significant off-cycle poll ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The SDP was added to the ballot following a court judgment directing INEC to recognise Ajala as the party’s candidate, bringing the total number of participating parties to 15.
President Bola Tinubu has urged voters to participate peacefully and called on INEC and security agencies to ensure that the election is transparent and credible.
He also charged security agencies to protect voters and electoral officials from intimidation while urging eligible citizens to turn out and exercise their civic responsibility.
Tinubu further urged INEC to use the Osun election to demonstrate its preparedness for the 2027 general elections.
