Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), a civil liberties organisation, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of disenfranchising thousands of Muslim women who wore hijab during Saturday's Osun State governorship election, describing the incidents as "targeted coercion, humiliation and disenfranchisement." The group, in a statement issued on Sunday, August 16, 2026, by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, alleged that the widespread denial of voting rights to hijab-clad women could have directly affected the outcome of the election, which was won by Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party with 511,067 votes.
"Thousands of Muslim women who wore hijab were disallowed from voting in the Osun gubernatorial election which took place yesterday, 15th August, 2026. The incident was widespread," Akintola said in the statement. He added that only a few women who surrendered by removing their hijab were allowed to vote, describing the situation as a violation of their fundamental human rights. The group also cited a viral video of a female voter, Saka Sekina, who broke down in tears at her polling unit after an INEC official allegedly demanded that she remove her hijab before she could be accredited to vote. The video, which circulated widely on social media, showed Sekina expressing frustration after waiting over six hours in the queue, only to be told that her religious attire disqualified her from the process.
MURIC accused INEC leadership of failing to properly educate its regular and ad hoc staff on freedom of religion, and specifically blamed INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, for what it described as a lack of respect for Nigerian Muslims. "The head of INEC himself has no respect for Nigerian Muslims and he had been enmeshed in the Christian genocide scandal over which he was accused of writing an 80-page legal brief which brought American soldiers to Nigeria," Akintola alleged. The organisation reiterated its call for the removal of Professor Amupitan as head of INEC and warned that similar treatment could occur during the 2027 general elections if the Federal Government did not intervene.
"We contend that the intimidation of Muslim women in hijab during yesterday's election in Osun State had a direct impact on the outcome of the election," MURIC said. "We warn that worse treatments are in the offing for Muslim voters throughout the country in the 2027 general elections. Nobody should blame Muslims if they react to the stripping of their women in public in future elections. No civilised society should encourage the public humiliation of women."
The allegations come amid a tense post-election atmosphere in Osun State, where Governor Ademola Adeleke was declared the winner after securing 19 of the state's 30 local government areas. The election, which featured 15 candidates, was largely peaceful, but reports of isolated incidents of violence, technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, and allegations of vote-buying had already raised concerns about the integrity of the process. The European Union Election Observation Hub reported 323 electoral offences and 38 security incidents, with 103 cases involving alleged vote trading.
MURIC's statement has drawn attention to the broader issue of religious freedom in Nigeria's electoral process. The group demanded an immediate investigation and called on the Federal Government to intervene, alleging that INEC officials were planning further restrictions on Muslim voters. As the dust settles on the Osun governorship election, the allegations have added a new layer of controversy to an already contentious political season, with Muslim leaders and civil rights groups now demanding accountability and a commitment to protecting the rights of all voters, regardless of their religious beliefs.
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