The Imole Campaign Council, the group leading the re-election campaign of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to avoid the lapses witnessed during some recently conducted off-cycle elections.

Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Monday, the Director-General of the campaign council, Lere Oyewumi, alleged that during off-cycle and by-elections in Ogun, Oyo, Jigawa and Ekiti states, individuals suspected to be mercenary voters were issued Permanent Voter Cards shortly before voting.

Oyewumi, who also raised concerns over the deployment of insufficient ballot papers and other sensitive materials, alleged that already thumb-printed ballot papers were distributed during the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

He said the off-cycle election in Ekiti and the FCT Area Council elections were also marred by technical challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System.

The lawmaker further alleged that during the recent elections in Anambra, Ekiti and the FCT, political parties that did not field candidates in the polls appeared on both ballot papers and result sheets used for the elections.

Highlighting other concerns identified by the council ahead of the Osun governorship election, Oyewumi said, “We have been inundated with boastful statements reportedly made by some Osun APC leaders about preloading BVAS machines ahead of the governorship election in the state.

“This claim, if true, strikes at the heart of electronic accreditation and suggests a predetermined outcome rather than the genuine will of the people.

“We have been notified about the commencement of the distribution of new PVCs by INEC. However, we have serious concerns about the transparency of the process, and we hereby warn that any move to disenfranchise Osun voters by withholding their PVCs will not be tolerated.

“We categorically demand that this distribution must be transparent and should not allow collection by proxy.”

Insisting that the issues raised by the council should be addressed, Oyewumi said the concerns were not aimed at undermining confidence in INEC but at strengthening the electoral process through constructive engagement.

He added, “The Osun governorship election presents another important opportunity for Nigeria to demonstrate that democratic institutions can continue to improve and inspire public confidence.

“The people of Osun are peaceful, politically conscious and deeply committed to democracy.

“They expect nothing short of a free, fair, transparent and credible election that faithfully reflects the wishes of the electorate.

“We, therefore, call on INEC to treat these observations with the seriousness they deserve and implement all necessary corrective measures before August 15.”

The PUNCH reports that voters in Osun State will go to the polls on Saturday, August 15, to elect a governor.

Fourteen political parties are fielding candidates in the election.

The incumbent governor, Adeleke, vying on the Accord ticket, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress and Dr Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress are the three leading candidates in the election.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, has confirmed that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, signed a written agreement with him to serve only a single tenure of four years and allow power to return to the North if elected president in 2027.

Kwankwaso disclosed this during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, saying the agreement was aimed at ensuring power returns to the North after a single four-year tenure in line with the party’s power-sharing arrangement.

The former Kano State governor said he had no reason to doubt Obi’s commitment to honouring the agreement.

“Oh yes, I personally believe him. I don’t think, based on what I now know about him, that he will change his mind when the time comes. We are all gentlemen,” he said.

Asked whether the understanding had been documented, Kwankwaso replied that both the party and the two candidates signed separate agreements.

“We have done one for the party, and we have done another one between the two of us,” he said.

Explaining the substance of the agreement, Kwankwaso said it provides for a single four-year tenure for Obi before the presidency returns to the North.

“The agreement is what you said, that for four years, we will work together, team together as a group, party, friends and brothers so that after his term of four years (2027-2031), it comes back to the North. That is the general agreement.”

He said he accepted the vice-presidential slot because both leaders agreed that the South should retain the presidency for only one term before power rotates back to the North.

“Together we felt that the presidency should go to the South for four years; thereafter it will come back to the North.

“We believe that should be the consensus of everybody in this country so that we can move together as a family, both North and South,” he said.

On whether he intends to contest the presidency in 2031, Kwankwaso said the party remained focused on winning the 2027 election while keeping its long-term political plans in view.

“We have a short-term plan which we are executing now and, of course, we also have our medium and long-term plans for the country, and that is what we are working on now,” he said.

Obi had in May announced that he would serve only one term if elected president, saying the decision was intended to promote political stability and strengthen national unity.

“I want to be a one-term president because of stability. I would not stay a day, with a gun to my head, longer than four years,” Obi had said.

The NDC has consistently defended its power-sharing arrangement, presenting the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket as a consensus aimed at balancing the country’s regional interests ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN

The Peoples Democratic Party and the ruling All Progressives Congress have commenced the upload of names of their governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.

Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, the PDP National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, disclosed that the party commenced the upload process on Saturday.

Also, a senior APC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, told our correspondent that the party would upload only the governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates whose nominations had been cleared by the primary election appeal panel and the National Working Committee.

Earlier, in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable, political parties submitted the nomination lists of their presidential and National Assembly candidates between June 27 and July 11, 2026.

The process also included the submission of Forms EC9 and EC9A to EC9E, as required under Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026.

INEC also fixed the submission of nomination forms for governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates to run from 9:00 a.m. on July 18 to 6:00 p.m. on August 8, 2026.

The timetable further indicates that the personal particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates will be published on August 8, while those of governorship and State House of Assembly candidates will be displayed on August 29.

It also sets August 22 as the deadline for the withdrawal or substitution of presidential and National Assembly candidates, while governorship and state House of Assembly candidates have until September 19 to withdraw or be substituted.

When contacted, Bature disclosed that the PDP began uploading its candidates’ details on Saturday, adding that the exercise is ongoing and will be concluded before August 8.

He stated, “The Peoples Democratic Party commenced the upload of its governorship and state Houses of Assembly candidates’ details to INEC’s nomination portal on Saturday.

“The exercise has been progressing smoothly without any technical issues, and we are confident that the upload process will be completed well ahead of the deadline.”

Also, the APC source said the party has commenced the upload of its candidates on the INEC portal, with priority given to the 16 incumbent governors seeking re-election.

The 16 incumbent governors expected on the APC list are Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Uba Sani of Kaduna, Abba Yusuf of Kano, Dikko Radda of Katsina, Nasir Idris of Kebbi, Umaru Bago of Niger, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto, Agbu Kefas of Taraba and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara.

The source also said the party’s governorship list would feature 12 first-time flagbearers, including Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa) and Baba Malam Wali (Yobe).

He stated, “I can confirm that the party commenced the upload process yesterday (Saturday), with priority given to the 16 governors seeking re-election.

“The party has also established a committee headed by Jibrin Bancir, the Principal Private Secretary to the APC National Chairman, to coordinate the smooth transmission of documents and materials required for upload to the INEC portal.

“The committee is responsible for receiving documents from state chairmen, verifying the details, ensuring all requirements are met, and forwarding them to the ICT department for upload.

“The arrangement is aimed at making the process seamless, efficient and timely.

“There could be slight changes to the initial list of candidates, as the primary election appeal committee had reviewed some petitions and submitted its recommendations to the National Working Committee.

“So, only candidates who passed the appeal committee’s review and received the approval of the NWC were uploaded to the INEC portal.

“We are confident that the exercise will be completed before the deadline.”

The PDP, APC and other political parties are expected to upload a total of 28 governorship candidates and 993 state Houses of Assembly candidates nationwide.

Governorship elections will not take place in the eight states of Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo and Osun due to off-cycle election schedules.

Earlier, political parties participating in the presidential and National Assembly elections had submitted and uploaded their candidates’ lists on the INEC portal.

punch.ng

FOLLOW US ON:

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

PINTEREST

TIKTOK

YOUTUBE

LINKEDIN