The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and voters in Osun State for the conduct of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, while calling for the protection of the people’s mandate ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement signed by its Chairman and Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, TMG, described the poll as “relatively seamless” and noted the absence of major technical glitches and the real-time uploading of polling-unit results on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
“TMG commends INEC for the relatively seamless conduct of the 15 August 2026 Osun State Governorship Election, particularly the absence of major technical glitches in most locations and the real-time uploading of polling-unit results on IReV,” the group said.
TMG also applauded Osun voters for their resilience and peaceful participation despite reported cases of vote buying, intimidation, harassment and other attempts to suppress voters.
According to the group, the election shows that INEC, under Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, can deliver a more transparent and credible process when its systems function as intended.
“INEC deserves commendation where it gets things right. The Osun experience demonstrates that the Commission is capable of conducting a transparent electoral process, particularly through the effective deployment of technology and real-time results transmission. At the same time, Nigerians must continue to demand improvements and hold the Commission accountable where it falls short,” TMG stated.
The group stressed that electoral malpractice such as vote buying, thuggery and intimidation are largely driven by politicians and their agents, and should not be blamed solely on INEC.
It urged law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies to intensify action against such offences.
TMG further called on the judiciary to protect mandates freely given by voters and ensure that electoral litigation strengthens democracy rather than overturning the will of the people through “technicalities, procedural manipulation or politically motivated litigation.”
The group noted that the peaceful conduct of recent governorship elections in Anambra, Ondo, Edo, Ekiti and now Osun provides encouraging evidence that credible elections are possible in Nigeria.
Looking ahead to 2027, TMG urged Nigerians to take responsibility by obtaining their PVCs, turning out to vote, and refusing to sell their votes.
“Democracy is ultimately strengthened by informed and courageous voters. Nigerians must not sell their votes and must not allow religion, ethnicity, region or party loyalty to replace the responsibility of evaluating candidates on their character, competence, track record and credible plans for the country,” it said.
TMG also charged political parties to shift away from politics of violence, vote buying and ethnic/religious mobilisation, and instead compete on character, competence and credible programmes.
The group urged INEC to build on the gains in Osun by strengthening election technology, logistics, accreditation, results transmission and public communication ahead of 2027.
“The Osun experience should strengthen Nigerians’ confidence that credible elections are possible. We must give credit where it is due, demand improvement where necessary and, most importantly, protect the power of the ballot by ensuring that every vote counts and every mandate freely given by the people is respected,” TMG added.