The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Osun State until Friday, July 31, after announcing that 322,822 newly registered voters had collected their cards ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Wednesday during the Osun Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Forum in Osogbo, assuring political parties and other stakeholders that the commission was ready to conduct a peaceful, credible and transparent poll.

According to him, the figure represents about 62 per cent of voters who registered during the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.

Amupitan urged eligible voters who are yet to obtain their PVCs to make use of the extension, stressing that the voter card remains the only document that qualifies citizens to vote on election day.

He also announced that the commission would conduct a mock accreditation exercise on Saturday, August 1, in selected local government areas to assess the performance of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) before the election.

Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Oluwatoyin Babalola, said preparations for the governorship election had reached an advanced stage.

She disclosed that the number of registered voters in the state had risen from 1,954,800 to 2,339,233 following the conclusion of the CVR exercise.

Babalola said all 3,763 BVAS machines designated for the election had been configured and fully charged, while an additional 1,328 backup devices had been set aside to address possible technical issues.

She added that non-sensitive election materials had already been distributed to INEC offices across the state’s local government areas, while sensitive materials remained secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Osogbo.

According to the REC, training for ad hoc election officials will take place between July 31 and August 9, adding that the commission has identified potential flashpoints and shared intelligence with security agencies to support adequate security deployment during the election.

Also speaking, INEC Supervising National Commissioner for Osun State, Kunle Ajayi, described the governorship election as another opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic process.

He said the commission had invested significantly in logistics, voter education, election technology and personnel training to ensure the credibility of the exercise.

Ajayi warned political parties and their supporters against engaging in vote buying, voter intimidation, hate speech and other electoral offences, noting that anyone found violating the Electoral Act would face prosecution.

He also urged security agencies, civil society organisations and media practitioners to discharge their responsibilities professionally and remain impartial throughout the electoral process.

The August 15 governorship election will feature incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking a second term, alongside candidates from 14 other political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC).