Osun election: NBA raises concerns over BVAS glitches, voter delays

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has described the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election as generally peaceful and orderly, but raised concerns over the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), high voter volumes at some polling units and difficulties experienced by elderly voters during accreditation.

The assessment was contained in a preliminary report issued on Sunday by the NBA Election Working Group, led by its Chairman, Festus Okoye, and made available to newsmen on Monday.

According to the report, the NBA deployed seven observation teams to various parts of Osun State to monitor the opening of polling units, accreditation and voting, the use of BVAS, voter participation, security arrangements, conduct of political party agents and the commencement of collation.

The Group said election officials and materials were deployed relatively early in most of the locations observed, with several polling units commencing activities between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.

It, however, identified BVAS performance as the most significant operational challenge recorded during the election, citing

several polling units where the devices were slow, experienced difficulty capturing fingerprints and facial images, or temporarily stopped functioning.

In Ede North Local Government Area, for instance, voting at PU 013, Agbala, near the Cooperative Building, reportedly began at about 9:45 a.m. after the BVAS experienced difficulties booting.

Similar challenges were reported in Egbedore, Olorunda, Ede South and other locations. At St George’s Primary School, PU 006, Egbedore, which had 1,114 registered voters, faulty BVAS equipment reportedly slowed accreditation, with some voters unable to complete the process because their fingerprints or facial images could not be captured.

The NBA also reported difficulties involving elderly voters, noting that some older voters had particular problems with biometric and facial authentication.

At Ataoja “E”, PU 019, Okin Street, behind Capital Hotel, in Egbedore, which had 1,271 registered voters, some elderly voters reportedly could not complete accreditation because the system failed to capture their biometric and facial information.

In Ede South, Anuolu Junction PU 008, with 632 registered voters, the BVAS reportedly encountered difficulties capturing voter details, resulting in delays and agitation among some voters.

The report further noted that the problem was not limited to technical failures. In some locations, polling units had exceptionally high numbers of registered voters, putting pressure on the accreditation process.

Some polling units in Boripe, it said, had more than 1,000 registered voters, while other locations had similarly high voter populations.

The NBA also identified insufficient personnel, limited network-related problems and the location of some polling units in inappropriate places as challenges requiring attention.

Despite these concerns, the observers said the election was largely peaceful across the areas covered.

“Political party agents were present at most of the observed polling units and were generally reported to have behaved appropriately,” the report stated, adding that no significant disputes or confrontations involving party agents were recorded in the locations observed.

Security arrangements were also assessed as satisfactory, with personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps deployed to several polling units.

The Group said it received no reports of major security incidents in the areas covered, although a minor disruption occurred at Olode, Iyana Igboro, PU 15, in Ife South Local Government Area, which security personnel were able to contain.

Voters were similarly commended for their generally peaceful and orderly conduct.

However, the observers reported an instance of alleged voter inducement and electoral malpractice at Elepo Square, PU 004, Olofun, in Orolu Local Government Area, where some individuals allegedly followed voters without disabilities into voting cubicles and assisted them to vote.

The NBA called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to undertake a comprehensive post-election review of the BVAS and address the shortcomings identified during the Osun election.

Among its recommendations, the Association urged INEC to conduct extensive pre-election testing of BVAS devices, including tests of biometric and facial recognition, network connectivity, battery performance, processing speed and the capacity of the devices to handle expected voter volumes.

It also recommended upgrading the BVAS machines ahead of the 2027 general elections to meet contemporary technological standards.

The NBA further called for the creation of additional polling units and urged the Commission to ensure that no polling unit has more than 500 registered voters ahead of the 2027 elections. Where voter numbers are slightly higher, it recommended the deployment of additional equipment and personnel.

The Association also urged INEC to relocate polling units situated in inappropriate locations, including markets, derelict buildings and corridors or other areas around private residences.

Other recommendations included the deployment of adequate technical support personnel, improved training of election officials, stronger safeguards for elderly and vulnerable voters, adequate staffing of high-volume polling units and stronger contingency mechanisms for technological failures.

The NBA also called for continued engagement among INEC, political parties, civil society organisations, professional bodies and other electoral stakeholders to address systemic problems identified during elections.

The NBA urged political actors and electoral stakeholders to pursue any post-election grievances through lawful, constitutional and judicial channels, while reaffirming its commitment to democratic governance, constitutionalism, the rule of law, human rights and electoral integrity.

The report was dated 16th August 2026 and signed by Festus Okoye, Chairman of the NBA Election Working Group.