Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a democracy, governance and civic technology organisation, has announced the deployment of 389 observers and operational personnel to monitor Osun State Governorship election scheduled for Saturday August 15, 2026.
The Executive Director of the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), Bukola Idowu said in a statement that the observers will be led by renowned human rights lawyer, Dr. Abiola Akiyode- Afolabi
The faculty includes Abutu Yaro, a former Deputy Inspector-General of
Police and election security expert; Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, former Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) Deputy Secretary; Prof. Ernest Uchenna Ereke, Professor of Political Science; Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, broadcast journalist; Vimbai Mutinhiri-Ekpenyong, Pan-African broadcaster and political communications professional; and Babalola Olusola, public policy analyst with experience across more than 30 election observation missions.
The statement added that the operational personnel will be available in all local government areas across the state to independently monitor the electoral process and provide credible, evidence-based assessments of the conduct of the poll.
Idowu stated that the team includes other national and international experts drawn from 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 added.
The statement added that the organization’s mission observation will be guided by the principles of independence, impartiality, transparency, inclusion, accuracy, non-interference and the “do no harm” principle.
The statement announced a series of public engagements to keep citizens, media and other stakeholders informed throughout the electoral process. These include an election day media briefing at 1:00 p.m. on August 15, a close of polls updates at 6:00 p.m. on August 15, and a preliminary statement at 11:00 a.m. on August 16, 2026.
The organization called on political parties, candidates, security agencies, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials, media, civil society organizations and citizens to conduct themselves responsibly.
The mission leader, Akiyode- Afolabi, noted that the deployment reflects the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that citizens and stakeholders have access to credible and independently verified information on the conduct of 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 stated.
“At the heart of the mission is KDI’s Election Day Data Room (EDDR), a secure and non-partisan information hub that will receive observer reports, conduct quality assurance and verification, maintain an auditable evidence register, monitor incidents, analyze trends, and produce verified public information throughout the election period.
“The Election Day Data Room will commence operations on August 12, 2026, and remain operational through the immediate post-election period. The facility will support the mission in ensuring that information received from the field is subjected to quality assurance and verification before being used in public reporting.”
She emphasized that all findings, assessments and public statements issued by the mission will be based exclusively on independently gathered, verified and documented evidence.
“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 said Osun state election provides another important opportunity to strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions and called on all stakeholders to protect the integrity of the process through peaceful participation, professionalism, transparency and respect for the rule of law.
Since 2014, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has implemented innovative programmes in election observation, election security, technology, civic engagement, policy research, and democratic reform.
