A retired civil servant and septuagenarian, Fawole Ademola, on Saturday commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the seamless process at the ongoing gubernatorial election in Osun State.

Ademola praised the commission’s handling of logistics ahead of the poll, noting that officials appeared to overcome significant last-minute obstacles to ensure voting proceeded without disruption. Consequently, his remarks come against the backdrop of a tight timeline that tested INEC’s readiness in the days leading up to the election.

Speaking on the challenges INEC faced, National Commissioner Kunle Ajayi explained that a court judgment arrived unexpectedly late in the process, well after the commission had already printed sensitive election materials. As a result, INEC had to act quickly to keep preparations on track. “In spite of the late judgment, which came very late after we had printed all the sensitive materials and moved to the appropriate quarters, the judgment just came on a Friday, and we had only Saturday, Sunday and Monday,” Ajayi said.

Before acting on the ruling, however, INEC first verified its authenticity. According to Ajayi, the commission obtained a certified copy of the judgment to confirm that a competent court had issued it. Only then did officials proceed, thereby ensuring that no procedural missteps compromised the election’s integrity.

Meanwhile, the ballot-printing operation itself demanded an extraordinary effort from INEC staff. Ajayi described how the team worked around the clock to complete millions of ballot papers within 36 hours, despite the delay. “Hours had no meaning to us anymore. Days had no meaning to us anymore,” he said, adding that staff worked day and night as though time had stopped.

Once printing wrapped up, INEC transported all sensitive materials, including ballots, to the Central Bank late that same night. Because the court judgment had pushed the timeline back so severely, the commission had to move the materials from Abuja to the Central Bank later than planned. Nevertheless, officials distributed the materials to all 30 local governments in the state without missing a single one, and without any complications along the way. The distribution exercise concluded around 5 a.m. on election morning, giving polling units enough time to prepare before voters arrived.

For Ademola, this behind-the-scenes effort translated into a smooth, orderly voting experience at the polls. As a longtime observer of Nigeria’s electoral process, he expressed confidence in the commission’s growing capacity to manage complex logistics under pressure. He further noted that the peaceful atmosphere at polling units reflected positively on both INEC and the security agencies deployed across the state.

Additionally, Ademola urged INEC to sustain this level of preparedness in future elections, particularly as the country looks ahead to the 2027 general elections. He argued that Saturday’s exercise in Osun State could serve as a valuable test case for the commission’s readiness on a larger scale.

Overall, the successful conduct of the Osun governorship election, despite last-minute legal and logistical hurdles, has drawn praise from voters and observers alike. INEC’s ability to adapt swiftly to the court judgment, while still meeting its distribution deadlines, demonstrated a level of operational resilience that many did not expect given the tight timeline.

As results continue to emerge from the state’s 30 local government areas, attention now turns to whether INEC can replicate this performance in subsequent elections. For now, though, residents like Ademola remain encouraged by what they witnessed on the ground in Osun State.