The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on media practitioners in Osun State to play a more proactive role in combating vote buying ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, urging journalists to make the menace a top investigative priority by documenting incidents with sufficient detail to support prosecution.
The charge was delivered by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, in a keynote address presented at the One-Day Media Stakeholders’ Forum held on Tuesday in Osogbo, Osun State. The address was delivered on his behalf by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola.
Haruna described vote buying as the most disturbing trend that emerged during the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election, noting that political actors and their agents allegedly distributed cash to voters at polling units, in some instances through numbered vouchers redeemable outside polling centres to evade security scrutiny.
He explained that the Electoral Act 2026 provides stringent penalties for vote trading, citing Section 22 of the Act, which prescribes a fine of not less than ₦5 million, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, in addition to a 10-year disqualification from contesting public office upon conviction.
The National Commissioner urged editors to dedicate resources to investigative reporting on vote buying before, during and after the election, while encouraging reporters to capture critical details, including the identities of those involved, locations, amounts exchanged and the operational structure of vote-buying networks. He noted that such reports would strengthen ongoing enforcement efforts involving INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
Haruna also disclosed that the Commission had concluded major pre-election preparations for the Osun governorship poll. According to him, INEC has successfully cleared candidates from the 14 political parties participating in the election, registered 381,817 new voters during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise, and completed arrangements for the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) across all 30 local government areas of the state.
He said the successful deployment of both technologies during the Ekiti governorship election, where BVAS recorded a 96 per cent functionality rate and IReV achieved a 98 per cent result upload completion rate, provides confidence for an even more efficient electoral process in Osun.
Expressing concern over declining voter turnout across the country, the National Commissioner observed that fewer than four out of every 10 registered voters participated in the Ekiti governorship election. He therefore appealed to media organisations to intensify voter mobilisation campaigns while sustaining public enlightenment on the dangers of vote buying and the importance of independently verifying election results through the IReV portal.
In her welcome address, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, described the media as an indispensable partner in promoting credible elections through objective reporting, civic education and public enlightenment. She called for sustained collaboration between INEC and media organisations to ensure the successful conduct of the forthcoming governorship election.
Also speaking, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Mr Wilfred Ifogah, said the stakeholders’ forum was organised to deepen the Commission’s engagement with media professionals, provide updates on preparations for the election and clarify INEC’s electoral 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 curbing vote trading and mobilising eligible voters. He expressed optimism that the August 15 governorship election would witness improved electoral conduct and greater public participation compared to the recent Ekiti governorship poll.
The Osun State Governorship Election is scheduled for August 15, 2026, with 14 political parties fielding candidates, including the incumbent governor, as INEC intensifies efforts to deliver a peaceful, transparent and credible electoral process.
