The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has assured that all voters already in the queue before 2:30pm on election day will be allowed to vote, even if voting continues past the official closing time.
This was made known by the Osun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, during a stakeholders meeting held in Osogbo on Wednesday. The meeting focused on preparations for the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise and the release of the timetable for the 2026 Osun State gubernatorial election.
Dr. Agboke explained that at exactly 2:30pm, an Assistant Presiding Officer (APO3) and a security officer will mark the last person in line. No new voters will be allowed to join after that time, but everyone already in the queue will be allowed to vote. He warned that voters who break the queue or try to vote after closing time will be committing a criminal offence and will face prosecution.
He also addressed the relocation of CVR centres from local government secretariats, which have been closed since February 17, 2025, due to a political dispute between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to him, the CVR exercise will start on August 18, 2025, with online registration. Prospective voters will visit the official CVR website to enter their details and print a slip to take to the nearest INEC office for biometric data capture starting August 25.
Dr. Agboke revealed that over 360,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) are yet to be collected in Osun State. Out of 1,954,800 confirmed registered voters, 1,594,006 have collected their PVCs so far.
He confirmed that preparations for the August 8, 2026 Osun governorship election have officially begun, with notices posted in all INEC local government offices. Political party primaries are scheduled between November 24 and December 15, 2025, while candidates must submit their particulars from January 15 to February 9, 2026.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner praised INEC staff, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), and security agencies for their cooperation and urged continued teamwork to ensure a peaceful and credible election.
He also assured that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a technology-driven tool to ensure transparency, will be used in the 2026 governorship election in Osun State.
