Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has charged media practitioners in Osun State to treat vote buying as a frontline investigative priority ahead of the August 15, 2026 Governorship Election, urging journalists to document incidents with the specificity needed to trigger prosecution.
The charge was contained in a keynote address by the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, delivered at a One-Day Media Stakeholders' Forum held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, in Osogbo, Osun State. The address was read on his behalf by the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola.
In the keynote, the National Commissioner described vote buying as the most alarming development to emerge from the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State Governorship Election, noting 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 five million naira, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, alongside a ten-year disqualification from contesting public office, for persons convicted of vote trading.
The National Commissioner called on editors to assign dedicated resources to the issue before, during, and after Election Day, and on reporters to capture names, locations, amounts, and the structure of coordination in their investigations. He said such reporting would feed directly into an enforcement framework involving the Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Services.
Speaking further, the National Commissioner disclosed that the Commission had concluded major pre-election preparations for Osun State, including the clearance of candidates from fourteen political parties, the enrolment 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 in Ekiti, where BVAS recorded a 96 percent functionality rate and IReV achieved a 98 percent result-upload completion rate, as a benchmark for the Osun exercise. The National Commissioner also drew attention to declining voter turnout nationally, noting that accreditation in the Ekiti election covered fewer than four in every ten registered voters. He urged media organisations to deploy their reach toward voter mobilisation, alongside continued public enlightenment on the dangers of vote buying and the importance of result verification through IReV.
The stakeholders' forum underscored the critical role of the media in safeguarding electoral integrity. INEC's engagement with journalists in Osun State is part of a broader strategy to build a coalition against electoral malpractices, with the Commission recognising that investigative journalism can serve as a powerful deterrent against vote buying and other forms of electoral fraud.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, had earlier reiterated the Commission's commitment to credible, transparent, and inclusive elections. In April 2026, she disclosed that INEC would make buying and selling of votes difficult for merchants during the August 15 governorship poll, emphasising that the Commission would not bend electoral rules in favour of any political party.
The Osun State governorship election is scheduled to hold on August 15, 2026, with candidates from fourteen political parties cleared to contest. The CVR exercise, which ended in May 2026, recorded 381,817 fresh registrations, adding to the state's existing voter population. However, concerns have been raised about uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), with over 300,000 PVCs reportedly uncollected as of August 2025, a challenge that INEC continues to address through voter education and mobilisation efforts.
The Commission has also suspended the CVR exercise in Osun and Ekiti ahead of their respective governorship elections, in line with Section 9(6) of the Electoral Act 2022. This suspension allows the Commission to focus on final preparations for the polls, including the deployment of BVAS and IReV technologies, which have become central to INEC's efforts to enhance transparency and curb malpractices.
As the August 15 election approaches, INEC's call for media partnership signals a determination to confront vote buying head-on. The Commission's emphasis on documentation, investigation, and prosecution reflects a recognition that electoral integrity depends not only on technology but also on the vigilance of citizens and the press. The media stakeholders' forum in Osogbo represents a significant step in building that vigilance, as Nigeria's electoral body and the Fourth Estate join forces to protect the sanctity of the ballot.
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