Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on Saturday alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) planned to bypass the prescribed process for collating election results, warning that such a move would be unacceptable. The governor made the allegation shortly after casting his ballot at his polling unit in Ede North during the governorship election.
Alleges Breach of Collation Procedure
Addressing journalists after voting, Mr Adeleke claimed he had received information that election results might be taken directly to the state collation centre instead of passing through the legally prescribed stages. “I have it on authority that they (INEC) don’t want to go through the normal process of units to wards and to local government. They just want to take it all the way to the collation centre, and that is not acceptable,” he said.
The governor insisted that the electoral commission must adhere to the established collation process. “They must follow the rule, and that is why I am alerting my people to watch out,” he added. Mr Adeleke, however, did not provide evidence to support the allegation, and PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach INEC for comments at the time of filing this report.
Confident of Victory
Despite his concerns over the collation process, the governor expressed optimism about the outcome of the election. “I know by the special grace of God I’m winning this election,” he said. The governorship election is being conducted across the state’s 30 local government areas, with voters electing a governor for another four-year term.
The poll has attracted heightened political interest, with security agencies deploying personnel across the state to maintain law and order. INEC has consistently maintained that it is committed to conducting a free, fair and credible election in line with the Electoral Act and its operational guidelines.
Scrutiny of Results Process
As voting and collation continue, attention is expected to shift to the commission’s management of the results process amid scrutiny from political parties and election observers. The outcome will determine who governs Osun for the next four years, with the governor seeking re-election on the Accord Party ticket.
