An election observer, Samuel Folorunsho, has described the Osun State governorship election as a major economic activity with significant costs extending beyond the funds allocated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Speaking on the Ask the Experts segment of Trade FM’s Breakfast Business Briefing, Folorunsho said the financial implications of the election covered logistics, transportation, training of election personnel, procurement of sensitive and non-sensitive materials, technology and other operational requirements.
He noted that the cost of an election should not be viewed only as a single lump sum, arguing that Nigeria’s large population and the number of polling units involved in elections contribute significantly to the overall expenditure.
According to him, election-related spending also begins long before election day and includes political party nomination forms, campaigns, civil society activities, media coverage and other pre-election engagements.
Folorunsho said elections also create temporary employment opportunities, particularly for young Nigerians engaged as ad-hoc election personnel.
He explained that the involvement of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) provides short-term employment and valuable work experience, while government spending on elections also circulates through different sectors of the economy.
However, he identified vote buying as one area where election-related spending raises serious concerns.
Folorunsho said reports of politicians offering as much as N50,000 for votes demonstrated the enormous financial resources being deployed to influence voters, arguing that such funds could have been channelled into infrastructure and other forms of development.
He also suggested that Nigeria could examine ways of reducing some election-related costs, including reviewing the need for physical Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) where other forms of government-issued identification could potentially be used.
On the role of technology, Folorunsho said the introduction of tools such as the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) had improved the quality, transparency and speed of election management.
He stressed, however, that Nigeria’s electoral process remains largely manual, explaining that technology is currently being used mainly for accreditation, results management, transmission and monitoring rather than electronic voting.
The observer said technology had also strengthened the ability of civil society organisations and citizens to monitor elections in real time, track results and report incidents.
He cited his organisation’s monitoring efforts during the Osun election, saying its artificial intelligence-supported system had projected the leading party’s result at 51.8 percent before 10 p.m. on election day, compared with the 51.9 percent later announced by INEC.
Folorunsho acknowledged that technology comes with significant costs but argued that its benefits should also be assessed in terms of efficiency, speed, transparency and accountability rather than expenditure alone.
On logistical challenges encountered during the election, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, he said delays in transporting election personnel and materials had economic consequences beyond the immediate financial cost.
He identified waiting time for voters, deployment of additional personnel and other human-capital costs as factors that should be considered when assessing the overall cost of elections.
Folorunsho also cautioned against judging the value of the Osun election solely by the amount spent, noting that the funding for governorship elections comes from the Federal Government, while the state itself does not conduct its governorship election.
He urged authorities and citizens to assess whether the electoral process ultimately delivered value for money by examining the quality of participation, transparency, accountability and governance that follows.
The observer further praised Osun voters for monitoring the electoral process beyond the polling units, saying citizens followed the counting and collation process to defend their votes.
He urged voters to maintain the same level of engagement after the election by holding elected officials accountable for delivering good roads, electricity, jobs, security and other basic services.
According to him, the first priority of the new administration should be improving the livelihoods of Osun residents, particularly through food security, employment, infrastructure and a safer environment.
Folorunsho said Nigerians were not necessarily asking for handouts but needed an environment where basic amenities were available and businesses could thrive.
He described the Osun governorship election as both a cost and an investment, saying its long-term value would depend largely on the quality of governance delivered after the polls.
He also described the election as a new case study in Nigeria’s electoral development, citing lessons in citizen participation, resistance to vote buying, voter protection, technology and the defence of electoral mandates.
Folorunsho said the experience could provide important lessons for other states and potentially shape preparations for the 2027 general elections.
