The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun distributing sensitive electoral materials to the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The exercise is being carried out at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) facility in Osogbo, the state capital, where the materials are being dispatched to their respective destination.
INEC National Commissioner overseeing the Osun election, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, attributed the delay in the distribution to the late arrival of newly printed ballot papers and other election materials from Abuja.
He explained that the materials had to be reproduced following the recent addition of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its governorship candidate, Francis Ajala, to the ballot.
Ajayi said the Commission commenced the distribution immediately after receiving the materials to ensure they reach the various local government areas before the election.
The SDP candidate and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, were added to the ballot on Wednesday, bringing the number of political parties participating in the election to 15.
INEC said the decision followed a July 22, 2026 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the Commission to recognise and process Ajala as the SDP candidate and publish his details.
As a result, the electoral body said it reproduced both the ballot papers and result sheets to accommodate the SDP candidate.
In a statement issued on August 12 by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, the Commission said the updated materials were expected to arrive in Osun on Thursday, August 13.
INEC added that the materials would subsequently be transferred to its local government offices across the state in accordance with its established distribution procedure ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
