The United Kingdom has congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election but raised concerns over alleged vote-buying, voter interference and other shortcomings recorded during the August 15 governorship election.

The British High Commission, in a statement on Monday, commended Osun voters for their peaceful and active participation but urged Nigerian electoral institutions to learn from the challenges observed during the poll ahead of the 2027 general election.

The commission said it deployed accredited observers across the state after engaging with various stakeholders before election day.

It noted that several aspects of the election were encouraging, including the opening of polling units as scheduled in many locations, the maintenance of order by security personnel and the effective implementation of electoral procedures by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The UK mission also commended the resilience and participation of voters throughout the election.

However, it said the largely peaceful conduct of the poll did not eliminate practices capable of undermining electoral credibility.

According to the commission, isolated incidents generated tension before and during the election, while voter interference, including alleged vote-buying across political parties, remained a concern.

It also highlighted challenges affecting the accessibility of the electoral process for persons with disabilities and elderly voters.

The British High Commission further identified overcrowding at some polling locations as an issue, attributing it partly to the limited availability and slow deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation.

The UK urged relevant Nigerian institutions to review the challenges identified during the election and implement lessons from the exercise to strengthen future polls.

It specifically pointed to recommendations from credible civil society election-monitoring organisations, including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, as useful in improving public confidence, transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

Looking ahead to the 2027 general election, the commission cautioned that some advantages associated with an off-cycle governorship election, including the ability to deploy additional personnel and resources, may be more difficult to replicate during a nationwide poll.

It therefore urged stakeholders to use the Osun election to identify and address weaknesses before the 2027 general election.

The UK said lessons from the election should help strengthen electoral integrity, inclusiveness and credibility.

It reaffirmed its commitment to working with Nigeria’s electoral institutions, civil society organisations and other partners to support peaceful, transparent, inclusive and credible elections, noting that strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions remains central to its engagement with the country.