DAILY MENTOR NEWS
By Staff Writer | August 13, 2025
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State has reassured voters that anyone already on the queue before 2:30pm on election day will still have the opportunity to cast their votes. This confirmation was given by the Osun INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, during a recent stakeholders meeting in Osogbo, ahead of the 2026 Osun State gubernatorial election.
Dr. Agboke explained that as of the official polling close time at 2:30pm, the security and polling officers (APO3) will position themselves behind the last voter in the queue to ensure that no new voters join after the cut-off. “None of them will be told to go. The police and the APO3 will make sure that no other voter joins the queue and all those people must vote,” he said, emphasizing the commission's commitment to allowing all queued voters to participate.
The INEC boss warned against queue jumping or attempts to vote after the stipulated time, describing such acts as criminal offenses that will attract prosecution.
In preparation for the upcoming Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, Dr. Agboke confirmed it will commence on August 18, 2025, starting with online registration, followed by biometric enrollment at designated centers from August 25. He revealed plans to relocate some CVR centers from local government secretariats currently closed due to political disputes.
Dr. Agboke also noted that 360,794 Permanent Voter Cards remain uncollected in Osun State, while 1,594,006 out of 1,954,800 registered voters have collected theirs.
The 2026 Osun governorship election timetable has officially been published, with party primaries scheduled between November 24 and December 15, 2025, and submission of candidate particulars set between January 15 and February 9, 2026.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner commended all stakeholders, including security agencies and the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), for their collaboration in ensuring a peaceful and transparent election.
Additionally, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed during the election to enhance verification and curb electoral malpractices.
This announcement provides clarity and assurance to voters as Osun State gears up for a crucial electoral exercise in 2026.
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