The United Kingdom has congratulated Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, on his re-election, while raising concerns over vote-buying, voter interference, accessibility for persons with disabilities and the elderly, as well as overcrowding linked to the limited and slow deployment of BVAS devices during the August 15 governorship election.
The British High Commission, in a statement on Monday, 17 August, 2026, commended the people of Osun State for what it described as their peaceful and active participation in the election, while urging relevant institutions to learn from the shortcomings observed during the poll ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The UK said it had met with a range of stakeholders before election day and deployed its own team of accredited observers across the state.
Based on the observations of its team and findings from credible independent observer organisations with wider deployments, the Commission said several aspects of the electoral process were encouraging.
It cited the opening of polling units as scheduled in many locations, the commitment of security personnel to maintaining order and the effective implementation of electoral procedures by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The UK particularly commended the resilience and participation of voters throughout the election.
However, it said the generally peaceful conduct of the election did not eliminate concerns over practices capable of undermining electoral credibility.
The British High Commission noted reports of isolated incidents that generated tension before and during the election, as well as the continuing challenge of voter interference, including vote-buying across party lines.
It also raised concerns over the accessibility of the electoral process for persons with disabilities and elderly voters.
Another issue highlighted was overcrowding at some polling locations, which the Commission attributed partly to the speed and limited availability of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices for voter accreditation.
The UK urged relevant Nigerian institutions to review the identified challenges and draw lessons from the election to improve future polls.
It specifically referenced recommendations from credible civil society election-monitoring organisations, including the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, as potentially useful in strengthening public confidence, transparency and accountability.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, the British High Commission cautioned that some of the advantages available during an off-cycle governorship election, including the ability to deploy additional personnel and resources, could be more difficult to replicate during nationwide elections
It therefore urged stakeholders to use the Osun experience to identify areas requiring improvement before the next general elections.
The Commission said lessons from the election should contribute to stronger electoral integrity, inclusiveness and credibility.
The UK also reaffirmed its commitment to working with Nigeria’s electoral institutions, civil society organisations and other partners to support peaceful, transparent, inclusive and credible elections.
It said strengthening Nigeria’s democratic institutions remained central to its engagement with the country.
The statement comes after INEC declared Adeleke the winner of the August 15 Osun governorship election, giving him another term in office after defeating his major challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress.
The election was closely watched as an important test of Nigeria’s electoral reforms and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While the UK described several aspects of the poll as positive, its observations on vote-buying, voter accessibility and BVAS challenges highlight persistent issues that electoral authorities and political actors will have to address before Nigerians return to the polls for the nationwide elections in 2027.
