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The Independent National Electoral Commission has commenced the distribution of sensitive electoral materials to the 30 Local Government Areas of Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The INEC National Commissioner in charge of the Osun State election, Professor Kunle Ajayi, said the distribution was delayed because newly printed ballot papers and other electoral materials arrived late from Abuja.
He explained that the delay followed the recent inclusion of the Social Democratic Party candidate, Francis Ajala, on the ballot. Ajayi said the Commission had commenced distribution to ensure that all sensitive materials reached their designated locations ahead of Saturday’s poll.
INEC had on Wednesday added Ajala and his running mate, Faseke Oladipo, to the ballot, bringing the number of political parties contesting the election to 15.
The Commission said the decision followed a Federal High Court judgment in Abuja delivered on July 22, 2026, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/344/2026 involving the Social Democratic Party and Ajala against INEC.
According to the electoral body, the court ordered it to recognise, accept, upload, process and publish Ajala’s name and particulars as the Social Democratic Party’s candidate for the election.
“Consequently, the ballot papers for the election, scheduled to hold on Saturday, 15th August 2026, are being reproduced to reflect this addition, bringing to 15 the total number of political parties contesting the election,” INEC said.
The Commission also said it was reproducing the result sheets alongside the ballot papers to reflect the inclusion of the Social Democratic Party candidate.
The statement was signed by Mohammed Kudu Haruna, National Commissioner and Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee, on August 12, 2026.
INEC had earlier announced that the reproduced ballot papers would arrive in Osun State on Thursday, August 13, and would subsequently be distributed to the various local government area offices.
The distribution is part of the Commission’s standard procedure for deploying sensitive electoral materials ahead of an election.
With the materials now being distributed across the state, INEC is working to complete the final preparations for Saturday’s governorship election, in which voters across Osun’s 30 local government areas will choose their next governor.
