The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the commencement of online voter registration for the 2026 Osun State governorship election, marking the official start of preparations for the highly anticipated poll.
At an expanded stakeholders’ forum in Osogbo on Thursday, INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Dr. Mutiu Olaleke Agboke, revealed that prospective voters can begin online pre-registration via the INEC portal (www.cvr.inecnigeria.org) from Monday, 18 August 2025. Physical biometric capture at designated centers across the state’s 30 local government areas will follow a week later, commencing 25 August.
“The online pre-registration is the critical first step in this exercise which formally kicks off our activities towards the 2026 governorship election,” Dr. Agboke stated, confirming that official notices of election have already been displayed at all INEC offices statewide.
The commission disclosed that Osun currently has 1,954,809 registered voters, with 1,594,006 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected and a staggering 360,794 still unclaimed. INEC officials urged citizens, particularly first-time voters and those requiring updates, to promptly complete the online registration before proceeding for physical verification.
Political parties were reminded that primaries to select governorship candidates will begin on 24 November 2025, as per INEC’s published timetable. The stakeholders’ meeting, attended by party representatives, security agencies, civil society groups, and media organizations, saw unanimous commitments to ensuring a peaceful and credible electoral process.
With 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units across the state, INEC emphasized its readiness to conduct what observers anticipate will be a fiercely contested election in one of Nigeria’s most politically active states. The focus now shifts to voter mobilization and addressing the significant backlog of uncollected PVCs ahead of the polls.
Discussion about this post