From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
Ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged media practitioners in the state to make vote buying a top investigative priority, calling on them to document incidents with sufficient detail to facilitate the prosecution of offenders.
In a statement issued in Abuja, INEC said this was contained in a keynote address delivered by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, at a one-day Media Stakeholders’ Forum held recently in Osogbo, Osun State.
Haruna, who was represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, described vote buying as the most disturbing development observed during the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election.
He noted that political actors and their agents were widely reported to have offered cash to voters at polling units, in some cases through numbered vouchers redeemable outside polling locations to evade detection.
He cited Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2026, which prescribes a fine of not less than N5 million, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, as well as a 10-year disqualification from contesting public office for anyone convicted of vote trading.
The National Commissioner urged editors to dedicate resources to investigating vote buying before, during and after Election Day.
He also called on reporters to document the names of suspects, locations, amounts exchanged and the coordination of such activities, saying such reports would support enforcement efforts involving INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
He further disclosed that the Commission had concluded major pre-election preparations in Osun State, including the clearance of candidates from 14 political parties, the registration of 381,817 new voters during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, and arrangements to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) across all 30 local government areas.
He referenced the performance of these technologies during the Ekiti governorship election, where BVAS recorded a 96 per cent functionality rate and IReV achieved a 98 per cent result upload rate, expressing confidence that similar success would be recorded in Osun.
The National Commissioner also expressed concern over declining voter turnout nationwide, noting that fewer than four in every 10 registered voters were accredited during the Ekiti election.
He urged media organisations to use their platforms to mobilise voters while continuing to educate the public on the dangers of vote buying and the importance of verifying election results through IReV.
In her welcome address, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, described the media as an indispensable partner in promoting democratic values through objective reporting and voter education.
She called for sustained collaboration to ensure a peaceful, free and credible election.
Also speaking at the forum, the INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, represented by the Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Mr. Wilfred Ifogah, said the forum was organised to strengthen the Commission’s relationship with media professionals, provide updates on preparations for the election, and clarify INEC’s processes under the Electoral Act 2026.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, Comrade Adeyemi Aboderin, pledged the support of journalists in the state towards combating vote buying and mobilising voters.
He expressed confidence that the August 15 governorship election would record better outcomes than the Ekiti poll.
The Osun State governorship election, scheduled for August 15, 2026, will feature candidates from 14 political parties, including the incumbent governor seeking re-election.
