The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a democracy, governance and civic technology organisation, has announced the deployment of 389 observers and operational personnel to monitor the Osun State governorship election scheduled for 15 August 2026.
KDI Executive Director, Bukola Idowu, disclosed this in a statement, saying the observation mission would be led by human rights lawyer and Associate Professor, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi.
The mission includes Abutu Yaro, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police and election security expert; Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, a former Deputy Secretary of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and electoral administration specialist; and Prof Ernest Uchenna Ereke, a political scientist specialising in democracy, governance and political analysis.
Other members of the team are Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, a senior broadcast journalist and media accountability expert; Vimbai Mutinhiri-Ekpenyong, a Pan-African broadcaster and political communications professional; and Babalola Olusola, a public policy analyst and veteran election observer who has participated in more than 30 election observation missions.
According to the statement, KDI personnel will be deployed across all 30 local government areas in the state to independently observe the electoral process and provide evidence-based assessments of the conduct of the election.
Idowu said the team comprised national and international experts with experience in electoral administration, election security, democratic governance, public policy, media, political analysis and research.
“The mission is designed to strengthen public confidence in the electoral process, promote transparency and contribute to the protection of electoral integrity in Osun State,” the statement said.
KDI said its observation would be guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, transparency, inclusion, accuracy, non-interference and the “do no harm” principle.
The organisation also announced a series of public engagements to keep citizens, the media and other stakeholders informed during the electoral process. These include an election-day media briefing at 1pm on 15 August, a close-of-polls update at 6pm the same day and a preliminary statement at 11am on 16 August.
The group urged political parties, candidates, security agencies, INEC officials, the media, civil society organisations and citizens to act responsibly and contribute to a peaceful, transparent and credible election.
It also called on political actors and their supporters to respect voters’ rights and refrain from violence and intimidation.
Akiyode-Afolabi said the scale of the deployment reflected KDI’s commitment to providing citizens and stakeholders with credible and independently verified information on the election.
“Our responsibility as election observers is not to determine the outcome of the election, but to independently observe, document and provide credible evidence on the electoral process. We are committed to ensuring that our findings are based on facts, verified information and the highest standards of professional election observation,” she said.
She said the mission would maintain a presence across the state’s 30 local government areas, 332 wards and 3,763 polling units.
Observers, she added, would monitor key aspects of the election, including polling procedures, electoral security, information integrity, election finance, technology deployment, voter participation and results management.
Akiyode-Afolabi said KDI’s Election Day Data Room (EDDR) would serve as the mission’s central information hub, receiving reports from observers, conducting quality assurance and verification, maintaining an auditable evidence register, monitoring incidents and analysing trends.
The facility is scheduled to begin operations on 12 August and remain active through the immediate post-election period.
She said the data room would ensure that information received from the field was subjected to verification and quality assurance before being used for public reporting.
Akiyode-Afolabi, who is also KDI’s Board Chair, stressed that the mission was strictly non-partisan and non-interventionist.
She said the organisation would neither administer the election nor certify its outcome, investigate electoral offences, direct security operations or endorse any political party or candidate.
“All findings, assessments and public statements issued by the mission will be based exclusively on independently gathered, verified and documented evidence,” she said.
She added that the credibility of the election would depend not only on the conduct of voters and political actors but also on the professionalism and integrity of institutions involved in the process.
“Every vote must be treated with dignity, every electoral procedure must be conducted transparently, and every institution involved in the process must act in a manner that strengthens public confidence. Our role is to observe without interference, document without bias, and report based on evidence,” she said.
Akiyode-Afolabi described the Osun election as another opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and urged stakeholders to protect the integrity of the process through peaceful participation, professionalism, transparency and respect for the rule of law.
KDI has implemented programmes in election observation, election security, technology, civic engagement, policy research and democratic reform since 2014.
