Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Imole Campaign Council, the campaign organisation for Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, has raised a red flag over an alleged coordinated scheme to obtain and buy Permanent Voter Cards and harvest sensitive voter data ahead of the August 15 governorship election, warning that the development poses a serious threat to the credibility of the poll. In a statement issued on Thursday, July 9, 2026, the council claimed it had received credible reports of individuals approaching voters across the state to either purchase their PVCs outright or extract sensitive information from them.
The Imole Campaign Council, through its spokesperson, Pelumi Olajengbesi, alleged that the scheme has become widespread and is exploiting the economic hardship facing many residents. “The scheme, which we have come to learn is becoming rampant, explores the ignorance and economic situation of the innocent voters to have undue access to their PVCs,” the statement said. The council further alleged that intelligence available to the campaign suggested that the operation was aimed at influencing the outcome of the forthcoming election. “Credible intelligence at our disposal indicated that this unlawful scheme is part of a calculated attempt to disenfranchise voters and adversely alter the outcome of the forthcoming governorship poll,” the council stated.
The campaign described the alleged PVC-buying exercise as an attack on the democratic rights of eligible voters, stressing that possession of a PVC is essential for participation in elections. “Our campaign strongly frowns at this unwholesome practice which seriously interferes with the democratic rights of voters to participate in elections without hindrance. Democracy is all about participation, and the PVC is what grants access to such in our environment, because without it, voting in an election will not be possible,” it said.
Governor Ademola Adeleke, speaking through his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, specifically accused the All Progressives Congress of orchestrating a widespread operation to buy voters' cards and collect voters' PIN numbers. He alleged that the operation is designed to compromise the electoral register, manipulate voter data, and ultimately influence the outcome of the poll. According to Adeleke, reports from across the state's 30 local government areas indicated that APC agents were offering monetary inducements to residents to part with their voter cards, demanding the PIN numbers printed on the cards, and in some cases compelling voters to swear oaths before collecting money or photocopies of the cards.
The governor further alleged that the operation is particularly concentrated in local government areas considered strongholds of the Accord Party, with the goal of causing “massive dislocation of registered voters from their place of registration” by moving cards from one town to another, making it impossible for the owners to vote on election day. He also raised concerns about possible insider involvement in the alleged operation. “I task the electoral body not to look the other way. We have reports of insider collusion which we are still investigating. Any link between the PIN numbers on the voters card and manipulations of the voting process is a source of concern for us. We trust the electoral body to act,” Adeleke said.
The Imole Campaign Council called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to investigate the allegations, identify those responsible, and take legal action to safeguard the integrity of the election. “We want to call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately activate measures to identify those behind the scheme and initiate processes, including taking legal actions, and any other means necessary to guarantee the integrity of the forthcoming election,” TICC said. The council also urged security agencies to crack down on what it described as criminal syndicates allegedly trading in PVCs. “We are equally calling on security agencies to rise to the occasion by going after the criminal syndicates trading PVCs in the open in order to make them face the full wrath of the law and ensure the integrity of our elections,” the statement said.
TICC also cited the provisions of the Electoral Act, warning that possessing another person's voter card or inducing voters to surrender their cards was unlawful. “We must emphasise that possession of PVC other than the one bearing one's name is unlawful in accordance with Section 121 of the Electoral Act, 2026, making it criminal to lure voters to surrender sensitive data on their cards in exchange for fictitious empowerment or worse, outright purchase,” it said.
Appealing directly to voters, the campaign council urged residents not to surrender their voter cards or disclose sensitive information in exchange for money or promises of empowerment. “PVC is the power the people hold to make leadership choices. They must not surrender that power for temporary financial gain, which could ultimately result in leadership that worsens their living conditions,” the statement said. Governor Adeleke echoed the same sentiment, warning: “Don't sell your voters cards; your cards are your power to vote and elect your leaders on August 15 and beyond. Osun APC wants to stop you from voting. Don't submit your cards.”
The APC has dismissed the claims as “baseless and imaginative fiction,” according to a Tribune Online report. However, the allegations have stuck, given that Osun's elections are usually decided by razor-thin margins. In the 2022 governorship election, Adeleke won by a margin of just over 20,000 votes, making any attempt to manipulate the voter register a matter of grave concern.
The Osun governorship election, scheduled for August 15, 2026, is shaping up to be a fiercely contested battle. The Independent National Electoral Commission has already enlisted the media in the fight against vote buying, urging journalists to produce investigative reports capable of supporting the prosecution of offenders. The allegations of PVC buying and voter data harvesting have added a new layer of tension to an already charged political atmosphere, with both the Accord Party and the PDP warning INEC against collusion with the APC in the handling of voter cards.
As the election draws nearer, the Imole Campaign Council and Governor Adeleke have made it clear that they will explore every lawful means to resist what they describe as an undemocratic practice. The ball is now in the court of INEC and security agencies to investigate the allegations and take decisive action to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
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