The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Osun State has identified 407 security flashpoints and 278 difficult terrains ahead of the 2027 general elections as part of measures to ensure peaceful and credible polls.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Oluwatoyin Babalola, disclosed this on Wednesday while briefing members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, on the commission’s level of preparedness for the forthcoming elections.
Babalola said ground-truthing exercises were ongoing across the 30 local government areas of the state to identify potential security challenges and difficult locations requiring special operational attention.
She disclosed that the identified flashpoints and difficult terrains would guide security planning and appropriate interventions.
Commending security agencies for their contributions to the peaceful conduct of the 15 August 2026 Osun governorship election, the REC urged them to sustain their cooperation, professionalism and commitment.
She called on the agencies to “sustain the existing collaboration and strengthen their operational partnership ahead of the 2027 General Election.”
Providing an update on the electoral timetable, Babalola disclosed that INEC had completed nine of the 14 major activities scheduled for the 2027 general elections, while the remaining five were at various stages of implementation.
She listed the publication of the final register of voters on December 15, 2026 and the publication of the notice of poll on December 29, 2026, among the outstanding activities.
According to her, “the presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections were scheduled for 6 February 2027.”
On voter registration and Permanent Voter Card, PVC, collection, the REC said the preliminary register of voters had been displayed physically and electronically to enable eligible voters to make claims and objections.
“1,903,390 PVCs had been collected before the August 2026 governorship election, while 427,216 remained uncollected.
“An additional 6,883 cards had been collected since October 27, bringing the reported collection rate to 81.74 per cent.
“PVC collection is still ongoing. Eligible voters who are yet to collect their cards should take advantage of the opportunity to ensure they are ready to participate in the forthcoming elections,” she said.
On technological preparedness, she disclosed that “Osun had 5,763 functional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, with another 1,328 available as backup devices.
“The machines would be deployed for voter accreditation and uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). Configuration, quality assurance, charging, mock accreditation exercises and the training of technical personnel are among the activities scheduled for completion ahead of the elections.”
The REC disclosed that recruitment of ad-hoc election staff would close on November 18, 2026, while arrangements had been concluded for training venues across the state.
She said training for presiding officers, collation officers and election security personnel would take place between December 2026 and January 2027 to ensure adequate preparation and effective coordination.
On security arrangements, Babalola announced the deployment of INEC Security and Alert Notification System, INEC-SANS, to strengthen security monitoring, intelligence gathering and timely responses to emerging threats.
She also disclosed that 98 Super Registration Area Centres and 97 Registration Area Centres would serve as accommodation and operational bases for election personnel, stressing that the facilities would require adequate security coverage before, during and after the elections.
On logistics, the REC said the commission had identified the requirements for sensitive and non-sensitive election materials, while reusable materials from the August 2026 governorship election had been properly batched for subsequent deployment.
She added that some non-sensitive materials had arrived, with additional supplies expected, while sensitive materials would be delivered during the week of the election.
Speaking on voter education, Babalola said sensitisation activities were ongoing across Osun, including the production and distribution of voter education jingles translated into local languages to encourage participation.
She disclosed that media accreditation for the 2027 general elections commenced on October 30 and would close on December 1, 2026.
The REC called on security agencies to “intensify intelligence sharing, commence early deployment planning and maintain effective inter-agency coordination. The successful conduct of elections requires the collective responsibility, commitment and cooperation of all stakeholders, particularly the security agencies.”
2027: INEC lists 407 security flashpoints ahead of elections in Osun