By Perpetua Onuegbu
International Republican Institute (IRI) has commended Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the peaceful conduct of the Aug. 15 governorship election in Osun, even as it called for ballot secrecy to curb vote trading.
IRI President, Daniel Twinning, gave the commendation at a news conference on Friday in Abuja, while reading the institute’s statement of findings and recommendations of its Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria.
The statement was jointly read by Twinning, National Endowment for Democracy Board Member and former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Amb. Jendayi Frazer and IRI Regional Director for Africa, Jenai Cox.
The institute commended INEC for successfully distributing revised electoral materials ahead of the election.
It noted that the commission had undertaken a major reprinting exercise, following a court decision that added Social Democratic Party (SDP) to the ballot.
The institute said the ability of the commission to produce and distribute the revised materials on time was commendable.
IRI, however, identified challenges relating to BVAS technology, vote buying, security and misinformation during the election.
It stated that significant vote buying was noted during the exercise, attributing it the highly competitive nature of the election.
“Vote buying is a much worse problem in Nigeria than it is in many other developing countries. And one recommendation that would be very simple but would make a real difference is ballot secrecy.
“When you observe elections here, you can see how people vote and they can flash their completed ballot to show that they voted the way perhaps they were paid to vote.
“In part, this is related to polling station set-up, right? Your ballot should be secret and you should be able to cast a vote in an environment in which that ballot remains secret.
“In many countries, there is vote buying. There is attempted vote buying and people accept the money, but because they have ballot secrecy, they then still vote for whoever they want,” it said.
The institute, therefore, advocated for stronger ballot secrecy, saying voters should be able to cast their ballots privately without proving to sponsors how they voted.
It also described polling stations visited as generally orderly, noting significant improvements compared with elections previously it had been observing since 1999.
However, the institute identified reliability of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as an area requiring urgent attention.
Speaking on the BVAS, IRI Regional Director for Africa, Jenai Cox, called for the update of the technology.
“The technology being used in the BVAS, I think, needs to be updated. We continue to see the BVAS tablets not always being able to perform.
“They go down for a while, maybe several hours, maybe a short incident. But I think there’s still a concern there of how reliable the BVAS technology can be,” Cox said.
She recommended stress-testing the technology and ensuring that its software and other components were regularly updated.
The institute also called for improved communication by INEC, particularly when technical challenges or disruptions occurred during elections.
It particularly expressed concern over disinformation, propaganda and AI-generated content, warning that false narratives could inflame tensions, suppress participation and undermine confidence.
The institute urged political parties and candidates to refrain from producing or amplifying manipulated electoral materials and AI-generated impersonations.
It also called on INEC to strengthen timely and authoritative communication to identify and counter false narratives before they spread widely.
IRI said political rhetoric witnessed during the Osun election created fear among some voters, with several citizens expressing concerns about their safety.
It urged electoral authorities, government agencies and political parties to reject rhetoric capable of inflaming tensions or discouraging citizens from voting.
The institute further recommended stronger security coordination during the 2027 general elections, based on threat assessments from government and civil society organisations.
Speaking on security, Jendayi Frazer said security personnel should be pre-deployed to areas identified as high-risk, while their welfare and logistical needs should be adequately addressed.
Frazer, who stated that electoral violence and loss of lives were unacceptable, urged stakeholders to work collectively toward peaceful, credible and inclusive elections.
IRI, a non-profit organisation founded in 1983, works globally to advance freedom, bolster democratic governance, support open elections and encourage civic and political participation.
(NAN)
