Peterside Demands INEC Explain Hours-Long Delay in Uploading Final Osun Election Results

Peterside Demands INEC Explain Hours-Long Delay in Uploading Final Osun Election Results

Businessman, Davido, Yiaga Africa demand transparency as electoral body faces scrutiny over delayed upload of final polling unit results in Osun governorship election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is facing mounting pressure from prominent Nigerians and election observer groups to explain why it took longer to upload the final 13 per cent of polling unit results from the Osun State governorship election than it took to upload the initial 87 per cent. Businessman and ANAP Foundation President, Atedo Peterside, has led the calls for transparency, demanding that the electoral body provide a clear explanation for the hours-long delay that raised concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.

The controversy erupted after INEC resumed uploading results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) following hours of inactivity on Saturday. By approximately 2 a.m. on Sunday, results from 3,612 polling units had been uploaded, representing 95.99 per cent of the total, with 151 polling units remaining outstanding. A later update at 2:37 a.m. showed that 3,613 results had been uploaded, representing 96.01 per cent, with 150 results still outstanding. The prolonged delay in uploading the final results sparked widespread concern among Nigerians monitoring the election.

In a post on X in the early hours of Sunday, Peterside wrote: “Dear @inecnigeria, thank you for releasing the results from 3,612 Polling Units in the #Osun Governorship Elections i.e. 95.99% of the results by 2am approx. Please release the results of the remaining 151 Polling Units. We are still watching. We also believe you owe the nation an explanation as to why it took you longer to collate the last 13% of the results than it took to collate the first 87%. Was there a ‘glitch’?” His question echoed the concerns of millions of Nigerians who had stayed up late to monitor the election results.

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Earlier on Saturday night, Peterside had raised the alarm after uploads to the IReV portal stalled at 3,292 results out of 3,763 polling units, representing 87.48 per cent, for hours. He had posted: “Dear @inecnigeria, many of us have been monitoring your Osun Governorship Election result uploads on your IREV. Why have your uploads stopped at 87.48% for some hours now? If you could show us 3,292 Polling Unit Results with little or no alterations, why are you unable to show us the results from the remaining 471 Polling Units? It is now past 10pm.” His frustration was shared by many Nigerians who had placed their trust in the electoral process.

The delay also drew public reactions from Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, who is closely monitoring the election process as the nephew of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke. In a post on his X account, Davido wrote: “INEC IREV uploads have been stuck for almost 2 hours now. 3292 out of 3763 results submitted and then silence. This is not acceptable! Why has the uploading stopped? @inecnigeria.” Earlier in the day, Davido had also questioned INEC at 2:33 p.m. when no results had yet been uploaded, demanding transparency from the electoral body. His intervention brought significant attention to the issue, given his massive following and personal stake in the election.

Election observer group Yiaga Africa also expressed serious concern over the delay, noting that the number of results uploaded to the IReV portal remained unchanged from 8:48 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Election Day, leaving 471 results outstanding nearly eight hours after voting ended. The group urged INEC to “urgently conclude the upload of the outstanding results or provide a clear explanation for the prolonged delay,” stressing that transparency and timely disclosure are critical to maintaining public confidence in the results process. Yiaga Africa had earlier announced that it would deploy its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology alongside an AI-assisted Election Result Analysis Dashboard (ERAD 2.0) to independently verify the election results and audit the results uploaded to IReV.

INEC National Commissioner Kunle Ajayi had assured voters ahead of the election that results from polling units would be uploaded to the IReV portal, though he noted that factors such as network connectivity and data volume could affect the pace of uploads. He also clarified that IReV is primarily designed to display polling-unit results rather than serve as a collation platform, stating that “the IReV is not an adding machine. It’s not an adding system. The IReV is meant for the display of results from the PUs.” However, critics argue that this explanation does not adequately address the specific delay in uploading the final results.

As of 3:36 a.m. on Sunday, checks showed that 3,614 polling unit results, representing 96.04 per cent of the total, had been uploaded to the IReV portal. Unofficial tallies compiled by election observers indicated that incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party was leading with 512,590 votes, ahead of Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who had 438,204 votes. According to data analysis by Dataphyte, Adeleke had secured 52.37 per cent of the ballots counted so far, while Oyebamiji followed with 44.69 per cent. Results from local government areas announced at the collation centre showed Adeleke winning Ede North with 35,427 votes against APC’s 10,283, and Iwo Local Government with 27,085 votes against APC’s 19,660.

Peterside had earlier described the Osun election as a crucial test for INEC and security agencies ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking before the election, he said the Osun election was the last major off-cycle governorship election before the general election, making its conduct and outcome significant to public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process. He stressed that the election should be viewed as a referendum on INEC, the security agencies and the police, saying their performance would be judged by Nigerians. “Last time around, INEC did well in Osun. By 6pm, we knew who the winner was. I hope they will pass the test this time,” Peterside had said.

The Osun State governorship election, held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, features 15 political parties and candidates, with Governor Adeleke seeking a second term in office. Fifteen political parties are contesting the election after INEC reprinted ballot papers to accommodate the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate following a Federal High Court judgment. The state has 2,339,233 registered voters, of whom 1,906,390 collected their Permanent Voter Cards and are eligible to vote across 3,763 polling units in the 332 wards and 30 local government areas. INEC had earlier reported that 432,843 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent of registered voters, remained uncollected.

The delayed upload has reignited debates about election transparency and the reliability of INEC’s technology in Nigeria’s electoral process. Many Nigerians have taken to social media to express their frustration, with some questioning whether the delay was due to technical glitches or something more sinister. The incident has also raised concerns about the commission’s preparedness for the 2027 general elections, with Peterside warning that Nigerians should not assume that a successful poll in Osun would automatically guarantee a successful general election in 2027.

As INEC continues its collation process, all eyes remain on the remaining outstanding results and the commission’s explanation for the delay. The outcome of the Osun election is being closely watched as a bellwether for the political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections. For now, Nigerians await INEC’s response to the growing chorus of demands for transparency and accountability.

Peterside Demands INEC Explain Hours-Long Delay in Uploading Final Osun Election Results