Osun Election Diary: Osun Election Diary: Delays, Tension Mark Voting and Result Collation in Ife-East, By God’s gift Akowe Hope

By God’s gift Akowe Hope

On 15 August 2026, I monitored and documented the conduct of the election across several polling units and collation points within Ife-East Local Government Area of Osun State. The field assignment focused on observing the voting process, voter turnout, accreditation, counting, result collation, reported incidents, and the eventual announcement of results.

The exercise provided an opportunity to observe the electoral process firsthand and document developments as they occurred. My field coverage began at AUD Grammar School Iloro, where I observed the polling unit as officials prepared for the commencement of voting. At about 9:00 a.m., voting had not yet commenced, as the INEC officials were still setting up the polling area. Despite the delay, there was a noticeable turnout of voters, including elderly persons and other members of the community. The presence of voters before the commencement of voting indicated a reasonable level of interest in the electoral process.

I subsequently proceeded to another polling location, St. John High School, Okeatan, where voting had commenced. The turnout was moderate, with young and elderly voters, as well as persons with disabilities, participating in the process. The exercise appeared generally peaceful at the time of observation.

However, information received from my team regarding an alleged incident at Modakeke prompted me to proceed there to verify the report. There had been an allegation that the Nigeria Police Force had released tear gas and disrupted the voting process at Urban Day Grammar School, Modakeke. Rather than relying solely on the information received, I visited the location to independently assess the situation and speak with an INEC official. On arrival, the area appeared calm, and voting activities were ongoing. I also sought clarification from an INEC official concerning the reported incident.

Based on my observation at the time of arrival, there was no immediate disruption taking place, although the allegation had earlier generated concern. At Government Technical College Ilode, another polling unit visited during the exercise, the queue was considerably long, and only two INEC officials were available to attend to voters. The limited number of officials contributed to a slow voting process.

Although there was an average turnout of voters, including both young and elderly people, some voters expressed dissatisfaction over the delay. The major concern observed was not a lack of voter participation but the slow pace at which the voting process was being conducted.

As voting ended at various polling units, the process moved into the counting stage. I observed counting activities and the subsequent collation of results.

At School of Science, Ondo Road, one of the polling units, the BVAS device was also observed, with information showing the number of registered and accredited voters. This formed part of the documentation of the electoral process.

Following the counting, copies of the results were provided to relevant party agents, who received and signed their copies. A copy was also handed to a police officer present at the location. These steps formed part of the process of documenting and securing the results after counting.

The results were subsequently collated, and further result sheets were released as the process progressed.

At the LGA collation centre, Government Technical College, Ilode, the final collation process continued into the evening, with results from different polling units being processed and announced.

At the final collation stage, results for seven wards were announced. However, the process became tense when the INEC officials indicated that the remaining results would be announced at Osogbo.

The decision to move the announcement to another venue led to an argument at the collation point, as those present expected the final results to be announced at the original venue.

Following the disagreement, order was eventually restored, and the officials proceeded with the necessary correction and verification of the results. It was subsequently communicated that the results for the remaining three wards would be announced at another location.

In conclusion, the field monitoring exercise provided firsthand insight into the different stages of the electoral process, from the preparation of polling units and voter accreditation to voting, counting, result documentation, collation, and final result announcement.

Although the election process was generally able to proceed, there were observable challenges, particularly delays in voting at some polling units, complaints from voters over the slow process, and tension during the final stage of result collation. The reported incident at Modakeke was also followed up through on-the-ground verification, while the later disagreement over the venue for the announcement of the remaining results was eventually brought under control.

Overall, the field exercise demonstrated the importance of direct observation and verification in election reporting, particularly when dealing with emerging incidents and information received during a fast-moving electoral process.

God’s gift Akowe Hope

+ postsBio ⮌