Osun Election 2026: INEC Announces Suspension of PVC Collection, 1 Other Major Update

• INEC announced that voters seeking replacement PVCs have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, 2026, to download their cards
• The deadline is tied to the Commission's need to compile final PVC collection statistics before the August 15, 2026, Osun governorship election
• INEC also extended the deadline for political parties to submit candidate lists for the February 2027 general elections

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over nine years of experience covering politics, elections, and governance in Nigeria and Africa.

Osogbo, Osun state - The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned voters in Osun state that the window to download replacement permanent voters' cards (PVCs) will close at midnight on Sunday, August 9, 2026.

Legit.ng reports that Mohammed Kudu Haruna, INEC's national commissioner and chairman of the information and voter education committee, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday, August 8. He said the decision was necessary to allow the Commission to gather complete data on downloaded PVCs and finalise total collection figures before the Osun governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026.

Osun: Background to PVC collection exercise

Physical collection of PVCs in Osun began at Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026. After voters complained of overcrowding at collection centres, INEC extended that phase to July 31, before moving collection to the local government area level, which ran from August 1 to 7, 2026.

The Commission also addressed concerns about two local government areas where cards were stolen. It said replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central, whose cards were carted away when hoodlums raided the two centres.

INEC's statement read:

"The Commission also wishes to state that replacement Downloadable PVCs have been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central local government areas whose cards were carted away by hoodlums who invaded the two centres. The Commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote. INEC reassures the people of Osun state of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026."

INEC extends 2027 candidate submission deadline

In a separate but related announcement, INEC said it had extended the deadline for political parties to upload their candidate lists for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections ahead of the February 2027 general elections.

The original deadline was Saturday, August 8, 2026, but INEC pushed it to Tuesday, August 11, 2026. The Commission attributed the extension to repeated appeals from political parties that needed more time to complete the submission process on the dedicated portal.

Read INEC’s update in full on the coming elections in Nigeria below via its X (formerly Twitter) post:

Read more on Osun election 2026

• Oyebanji, Adeleke to know fate as INEC announces dates for Ekiti, Osun governorship elections
• Osun 2026: 5 reasons Adeleke may win second term bid
• Osun 2026: 3 reasons Ademola Adeleke may lose second term bid
• Governor Adeleke opens up on possible defection from PDP to APC after meeting Tinubu

Osun election 2026: Uzodimma taunts Davido

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Hope Uzodimma, the governor of Imo, responded to comments made by Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, over the forthcoming Osun state governorship election.

Uzodimma told the singer to prepare to sign his uncle, Governor Ademola Adeleke, as a dancer after the poll.

Adeleke is a chieftain of the Accord, a party he joined in 2025.