A coalition under the banner of the Coalition of Concerned Nigeria Citizens (CCNC) has raised concerns over the conduct of the Independent National Electoral Commission's (INEC) mock accreditation exercise in Osun State, alleging widespread malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines across the selected polling units.
In a statement issued on Saturday and signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Raufu Sodiq (Oluomo Success), the coalition described the development as alarming, noting that the exercise, designed to test the Commission's readiness for the August 15, 2026 Osun Governorship Election, failed to inspire public confidence.
According to the statement, although the mock accreditation was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., the exercise reportedly started late in some polling units. The group further alleged that within 40 minutes of commencement, the BVAS machines stopped functioning across the selected polling units, preventing successful fingerprint, facial, and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) verification. It claimed that the issues persisted as of 11:53 a.m., when the statement was issued.
The coalition argued that accreditation is the foundation of every credible election, warning that any failure in the voter verification process could undermine the integrity of the entire electoral exercise.
CCNC questioned whether INEC is fully prepared for the August 15 governorship election, asking why the technology reportedly failed during a routine mock exercise despite years of preparation, budgetary allocations, procurement, and personnel training.
The group also called on the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Osun State and INEC's national leadership to provide immediate explanations on the cause of the reported BVAS malfunction, whether the failures resulted from software, hardware, or operational deficiencies, and what contingency measures have been put in place ahead of election day.
Among its demands, the coalition urged INEC to conduct another hitch-free mock accreditation exercise before the governorship election to restore public confidence in the Commission's ability to deliver a free, fair, credible, and transparent poll.
CCNC further appealed to INEC to publish a detailed technical report on the reported failures, replace any faulty BVAS machines, strengthen backup arrangements, and retrain election personnel where necessary.
"The time for excuses has passed. The time for accountability is now. INEC must prove, not promise, that it is ready," the statement concluded.
As of the time of filing this report, INEC had not issued an official response to the allegations contained in the statement.
