The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun, Oluwatoyin Babalola, has assured that the August 15 governorship poll in the state would not only be credible and fair, but also reflects peoples’ true will.

 

She maintained that process for the conduct of an election had gone beyond the mantra of being free, fair and transparent to the reflection of peoples’ true will and inclusivity in the conduct of the exercise.

 

Babalola, who spoke at a multi stakeholders’ roundtable on “Legal Compliance and Electoral Integrity Ahead of the 2026 Off Cycle Governorship Election”, in Osogbo, contended that INEC remains committed to conduct an election that is free, fair, credible, transparent, and acceptable to the citizenry.

 

The roundtable was organised by New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) and Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija).

 

She stated, “We have had election in Nigeria where there was no petition at the tribunal. It happened in Ondo State at a time. I want to assure everyone here that from INEC that we will conduct election that truly reflects the will of the people of Osun State.”

 

Babalola enjoined participants at the roundtable to brainstorm on issues that will ensure overall success of the polls, most especially the peaceful conduct of all the political stakeholders in order to provide enabling atmosphere for the electorate to exercise their franchise.

 

In her remark, the Executive Director of NIGAWD and South West coordinator, YERP-Naija, Abimbola Aladejare-Salako, described the quality of elections is a shared responsibility, stressing that “today’s dialogue reflects our collective determination to ensure that the Osun governorship election is peaceful, credible, transparent and reflective of the will of the people.”

 

“The Osun election therefore presents an opportunity not only to implement the provisions of the Electoral Act faithfully but also to buildon the successes ecorded in Ekiti while addressing the gaps that became evident during its implementation, “Aladejare-Salako posited.

 

Also speaking, the Program Director, National Democratic Institute (NDI), Bem Agam, noted that it is inspiring that young people are providing commendable leadership by engaging critical and stakeholders, such as INEC, security agencies, and professional bodies to build consensus on election integrity.