Yiaga Africa has warned that the theft of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and disruption of their distribution in Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State could disenfranchise eligible voters ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The civil society organisation, in the third iteration of its Watching the Vote Osun 2026 Pre-Election Observation (PREO) Report issued yesterday, said the incident in Ward 2, Odo-Otin LGA, posed a direct threat to the voting rights of affected residents.
It said that unless the stolen PVCs were promptly accounted for and effective remedies provided to affected voters, the incident could prevent eligible citizens from exercising their franchise.
According to the report, the attack on the PVC distribution centre also exposed security vulnerabilities surrounding electoral personnel, facilities and sensitive materials during critical stages of election preparation.
‘The disruption of PVC distribution and theft of Permanent Voter Cards in Ward 2, Odo-Otin LGA pose a direct risk to the voting rights of affected voters,’ Yiaga Africa said.
It added that the incident could undermine confidence in the electoral process, particularly among residents of communities affected by the disruption.
The organisation urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately conduct an audit of the stolen PVCs and make arrangements to ensure that affected voters were not disenfranchised.
It also called on INEC to publish the number of stolen PVCs in the affected areas alongside the PVC collection rate before Election Day.
Yiaga Africa further urged INEC to work closely with security agencies through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure intelligence-led deployment of personnel to electoral facilities and activities.
It warned that the ability of armed actors to disrupt an official INEC activity and remove electoral materials underscored the need for stronger security around Registration Area Centres, polling units, collation centres and other critical electoral facilities.
‘Violence or disruption during critical electoral operations can have consequences beyond the immediate incident,’ the organisation said, warning that such incidents could deter voter participation, disrupt election preparations and weaken public confidence in the capacity of INEC and security agencies to safeguard the process.
On security, Yiaga Africa urged the relevant agencies to provide adequate protection for all remaining electoral activities, including Registration Area Centres when activated on the eve of Election Day, as well as electoral personnel and sensitive materials.
It specifically called for heightened security in identified hotspots and other high-risk locations, alongside improved intelligence gathering and early-warning mechanisms to prevent further disruptions.
The group also urged security agencies to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of political and electoral violence and other offences.
It said authorities should publish detailed information on arrests and prosecutions of individuals responsible for violence resulting in fatalities during the electoral process, including the sponsors behind such acts.
Yiaga Africa urged political parties to conduct peaceful campaigns and ensure that their members and supporters avoided violence, intimidation, hate speech and other actions capable of escalating political tensions.
It also called on parties to promote issue-based campaigns and direct their agents, youth groups and supporters to comply with the Electoral Act, the Peace Accord and other applicable electoral guidelines.
The organisation urged civil society groups to intensify voter education and civic awareness campaigns to encourage eligible voters to collect their PVCs and participate peacefully in the election.
It also called on the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to collaborate with INEC, civil society organisations, traditional institutions and community leaders to disseminate timely and accurate information on PVC collection and election-day procedures.
Yiaga Africa said prompt accountability, remedial measures for affected voters and strengthened security were essential to mitigating the risks identified ahead of the election.