OSUN 2026: INEC, THE TEST OF TRUST AND THE ROAD TO 2027
By Shae Bebeyi @ Curiously Yours Arena
There are elections that merely produce winners. There are elections that produce questions. And there are elections that begin to restore confidence in democracy.
The Osun State governorship election of August 15, 2026, has provided Nigerians with an important opportunity to assess whether the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, under Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), can deliver what Nigerians have demanded for decades: an electoral process in which the ballot can be followed, verified and trusted.
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For Prof. Amupitan, Osun was more than another off-cycle governorship election. It was a test of promises. For Nigeria, it was also a rehearsal for 2027.
Before the election, the INEC Chairman repeatedly promised that the Commission was prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election, maintaining strict neutrality and subjecting its operational readiness to public scrutiny.
The question was whether those promises would translate into practice.
On that score, there is much to commend.
Chief Mrs Temidayo Samuel-Molumo, who personally monitored the results throughout the night, described the transparency of the results process, the visibility of the statistics and the ability to follow the figures party by party and Local Government Area by Local Government Area as remarkable.
Her observation is significant because public confidence is built not merely by what an institution says about itself, but by what citizens can independently observe.
That is the real value of transparency.
It does not mean everyone must agree with the outcome. It means citizens can examine the process that produced it.
And that distinction is fundamental to democracy.
Prof. Amupitan has repeatedly emphasised the importance of public trust in electoral information and the need to protect the integrity of the electoral process.
Osun therefore provided an opportunity to translate that philosophy into institutional practice.
The commendation from Chief Samuel-Molumo should consequently be understood as more than applause. It is a vote of confidence — and every vote of confidence creates a higher responsibility.
OSUN IS NOT THE DESTINATION
INEC must resist the temptation to regard Osun as a final examination.
It is a mid-term examination.
The real national examination is 2027.
INEC has indicated that it intends to undertake a nationwide voter revalidation exercise to improve the voter register and address concerns about inaccurate or duplicate records.
The Commission should now conduct a frank post-election audit of Osun.
What worked? What failed? Where did BVAS encounter difficulties? Were materials deployed on time? Were officials adequately trained? How quickly were technical problems resolved? Were results uploaded consistently? How effectively were complaints handled?
These questions are not an indictment of INEC. They are the questions of an institution that wants to become better.
The INEC Chairman has already emphasised stronger supervision, early deployment, accountability and post-election reviews.
That philosophy must now become institutional practice.
THE FINAL FRONTIER: TRUST
Nigeria does not merely need elections that are technically successful. Nigeria needs elections that Nigerians believe in.
A technically impressive election that citizens do not trust can still damage democracy. Conversely, an election whose imperfections are openly acknowledged and corrected can strengthen confidence.
The real test is simple:
Can the voter believe that his vote will be treated like the vote of the powerful?
Can the opposition trust that INEC will remain neutral?
Can the electorate follow the journey of its vote from polling unit to final declaration?
Can the electoral umpire explain its decisions?
These questions will ultimately define INEC’s legacy.
THE COMMENDATION MUST BECOME A CHARGE
Chief Mrs Temidayo Samuel-Molumo’s letter contains a powerful assessment: “You have indeed restored dignity to our electoral system.”
That is generous praise.
But it should also be treated as a charge.
Dignity, once restored, must be protected.
The Osun experience should become a template, not an exception.
Reports of temporary interruptions in result uploads and concerns over the pace of uploading some results also demonstrate that even a generally transparent system must continue to improve its resilience and communication.
INEC should publish a comprehensive post-election assessment, engage stakeholders and strengthen accountability from the polling unit to the national headquarters.
Above all, it must protect its neutrality.
2027: THE ACID TEST
Osun may have opened a door.
2027 will determine whether INEC can walk through it.
The stakes will be considerably higher. Political interests, competing narratives, security concerns and public scrutiny will multiply.
The credibility of 2027 will therefore be built in 2026.
The voter register must be credible. Electoral officials must be properly trained. Technology must be tested repeatedly. Logistics must be predictable. Results management must be transparent.
Political parties must also accept that democracy does not guarantee victory; it guarantees a fair opportunity to compete.
To Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), the commendation from Chief Mrs Temidayo Samuel-Molumo deserves to be echoed.
Nigeria needs an electoral commission that can stand above partisan pressure and remain loyal to the Constitution, the law and the Nigerian voter.
If Osun has demonstrated anything, it is that transparency can change the conversation around elections.
But the work has only begun.
The commendation is therefore not merely a pat on the back.
It is a challenge:
Do it again.
Do it better.
Institutionalise it.
Take the lessons of Osun to every future election and ultimately to 2027.
Let Osun become the point at which Nigerians began to say again: perhaps our votes really can count.
Osun has given INEC applause.
2027 will demand proof.
And Nigeria will be watching.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 16TH AUGUST, 2026)
