Ahead of the 2026 Osun State governorship election, billed to hold on August 15, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured voters that the outcome of the contest will be determined solely by the votes cast by citizens, stressing that the commission is fully prepared to manage a transparent, credible, and free electoral process.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Mutiu Agboke, made this known in a conversation with Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, Ogun State, on Thursday.

He emphasized that INEC has been conducting extensive preparations for the elections, ranging from voter education, corps member training, security collaboration, and technological readiness through BVAS and IREV platforms, all while adhering to the new Electoral Act 2026.

According to him, the final list of candidates has been published, and political campaigns formally commenced on March 11. “The campaign stage is going on. Anywhere you go now in Osun State, you see the barriers, jamboree of activities, jamboree of the political rallies, and procession.

“INEC’s internal preparations are continuing alongside the visible campaign activities, with every department actively engaged to ensure readiness”.

He elaborated on the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) at the ward level, stating, “Apart from CVR that we are doing, INEC will devolve registration of CVR to the ward level. So, for that ward level, we are going to start around next week for the purpose of our election, without prejudice to the ongoing CVR.

“More people have the opportunity to participate at the ward level, and I know that a lot of them have been coming out to participate in this mission.”

Dr Agboke emphasised that this approach is designed to maximise participation and ensure that more residents have the opportunity to register to vote ahead of the polls.

He also highlighted the ongoing in-house training, saying, “Of course, the corps members are the pillars of our activities and, you know, we cannot but continue to ensure that they grasp the details of what we are doing. So, they are part and parcel of this training, and they will continue to be, for the election.”

He underscored that corps members are not only being trained but strategically prepared for deployment, addressing concerns about last-minute notifications or uncertainty among participants.

The REC provided further clarity on the role of corps members and the shortlisting process, saying that “The issue of not knowing or getting to have the list late is about the issue of shortlisting. Shortlisting is not the same thing as training.

“After you have trained everybody, you have to shortlist those who have participated in the training to be able to know who are capable of being engaged,” he explained.

He reassured that corps members are fully aware of their responsibilities and the locations where they will be deployed, adding, “They know that they are going to work during the election, yes.

But the list will not be released on time for some other strategic reasons. But definitely they know where they are going to work, and they have been working on that.” This, according to Agboke, underscores INEC’s structured approach to election staffing and capacity building.

Speaking on the political parties and the legal framework on ground, the REC confirmed that fourteen political parties will participate in the 2026 Osun governorship election.

“This process has commenced long before the newly registered ones. So it goes without saying that they will not necessarily be part of it,” he said, pointing out that preparations began well before the registration of new parties, ensuring that the recognised parties are fully accounted for.

On the issue of security, Dr Agboke emphasised INEC’s partnership with law enforcement to prevent disruptions, violence, or ballot manipulation. “Securities, they are the ones that know the flashpoints.

“They have identified them, and definitely they are going to work around it to be able to do the right thing,” he said, highlighting the intelligence-led nature of security planning.