INEC holds media stakeholders’ forum ahead of Osun governorship election, warns against vote buying

By Isa Isawade

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday held INEC Media Stakeholders’ Forum in Osogbo ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

The parley which comprised senior INEC officials at both national and state levels, media executives, producers and journalists was held at Aenon Suites Hotel, GRA, Osogbo today June 30.

In his keynote address, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, acknowledged the great feat INEC achieved in the June 21 Ekiti State Governorship Election which was peaceful, and results released same day and winner declared in the early hours of the following day.

Haruna reminded the gathering that: “On June 20, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission conducted the Ekiti State Governorship Election. In the early hours of June 21, INEC declared the Winner of the Ekiti Governorship election in record time.

“The INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, recorded a 98 percent completion rate in result uploads from 2,445 polling units. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System performed at a 96 percent functionality rate. Independent observers, confirmed that INEC’s official results were consistent with their own Process and Results Verification estimates, a powerful endorsement of the transparency of our result management process.”

He commended the media and said the “Nigerian media was central to that outcome. Your platforms carried voter education messages that reached communities across Ekiti State. Your reporters documented the process with rigour. Your editors made decisions, often in real time, that protected public confidence in the process. Your fact-checkers worked to resist the flood of misinformation that, as in every election, threatened to overwhelm verified information. On behalf of the Commission, I say: thank you.”

However, he acknowledged that the election was not perfect but maintained that it was a credible one, adding that the media’s contribution to its credibility was deeply appreciated by the commission.

He appealed for the same professionalism, vigilance, and commitment on the part of the media to be repeated in the forthcoming August 15, 2026, Osun State Governorship Election.

Haruna said of the Osun election: “The August 15, 2026 Osun State Governorship Election is, like its Ekiti predecessor, an off-cycle governorship election, conducted outside the regular national electoral calendar due to the constitutional and judicial peculiarities of the state. But it is no less significant for that.

“The Osun election takes place against the backdrop of a fresh democratic mandate from Ekiti and with heightened national attention on how INEC performs ahead of the 2027 general elections. Fourteen political parties are fielding candidates including the incumbent governor.

“As of the close of the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, Osun State has over 2.3 million registered voters, with 381,817 new registrants enrolled during the CVR phase alone. The scale of this electorate reflects the enormous democratic potential of this exercise. The question, as always, is how much of that potential will be converted into actual votes on election day.

“The election will be conducted across all 30 local government areas of Osun State. INEC is committed to deploying the full complement of our electoral technology, the BVAS for voter accreditation, IReV for real-time result transparency, and to building on every lesson learned from Ekiti to deliver an election that Osun State and Nigeria can be proud of.”

He spoke on the challenge of vote buying, describing it as “The single most alarming development in the Ekiti State Governorship Election, and the most urgent challenge we collectively face going into Osun, is the brazen, widespread, and openly reported phenomenon of vote buying.

“The Nigerian press documented what happened in Ekiti. The media and multiple election observation groups reported that political actors and their agents openly offered cash to voters at polling units across the state.

“Some of the media reports indicate that in some communities, voters received numbered vouchers redeemable for cash outside the polling unit, a system designed to evade immediate detection while ensuring compliance.”

He acknowledged the concerns and vowed that INEC was determined to prevent it in Osun election.

He warned all that Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2026 makes vote trading a criminal offence punishable by a fine of not less than five million naira, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, plus a ten-year disqualification from contesting any public office in Nigeria.

He, therefore advised that the consequences of vote buying are serious when caught and should be avoided by all.

He solicited the media’s collaboration by assigning dedicated resources to enlighten the public on the imperative of electoral integrity and the dangers of vote buying.

“We are asking on-air personalities to run sustained public enlightenment campaigns that tell voters, in clear language and in Yoruba, that selling your vote is selling your future, that when you accept five thousand naira for your vote, you are signing a contract that forfeits your right to hold that official accountable for four years.

“The Osun State REC, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, has said it plainly: “You do not need money to vote. It is an offence for the seller and the buyer. We need to keep educating the electorate that they should not mortgage their future because of money.” INEC is doing its part. We are asking the media to do theirs.

“INEC is working in close coordination with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force, and the State Security Service to investigate, arrest, and prosecute perpetrators of electoral bribery.

“Your investigative reports will be an essential input into that enforcement architecture. We urge you to act on that responsibility with the full weight of your institutional authority,” Haruna said.

In her welcome address earlier, INEC Resident Electoral Commission in Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola expressed appreciation to the media for responding positively to the commission’s invitation.

She added that, “Over the years, the media has remained an indispensable partner of the Commission in promoting democratic values through objective reporting, public enlightenment, and providing citizens with timely and accurate information about electoral activities.

“This dialogue is designed to provide an opportunity for constructive engagement with the media community in Osun State, particularly as we approach the forthcoming Governorship Election.”

She appealed that as the election approaches, INEC would count on the “continued professionalism, fairness, and commitment of media practitioners in Osun State. Your reportage and public engagement will play a significant role in ensuring that voters are well informed and that the electoral environment remains peaceful and conducive.”

She assured all that the Commission remained open to constructive feedback and collaboration with the media to continuously improve electoral processes and deliver an election that meets the expectations of the people of Osun State and Nigerians at large.