Osun guber: INEC urges media to expose vote buying ahead of August poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged media practitioners in Osun State to make the fight against vote buying a major focus of their coverage ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election.

The appeal was made on Tuesday during a one-day Media Stakeholders’ Forum held in Osogbo, where the National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, called on journalists to investigate and expose electoral malpractice.

Represented by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, Haruna described vote buying as the most disturbing challenge observed during the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.

He alleged that political actors and their agents offered cash to voters at polling units and, in some cases, distributed numbered vouchers redeemable away from voting centres.

Haruna urged journalists to gather credible evidence capable of supporting prosecution by documenting incidents thoroughly.

“Reporters should capture names, locations, amounts involved and the structure of coordination in their investigations,” he said, adding that such reports would strengthen efforts to prosecute offenders.

The National Commissioner cited Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2026, noting that anyone convicted of vote trading faces a fine of not less than N5 million, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, in addition to a 10-year ban from contesting public office.

According to him, evidence gathered by the media would support enforcement efforts involving INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services, DSS.

Haruna also advised media organisations to dedicate resources to investigating vote buying before, during and after election day.

He disclosed that INEC had concluded major preparations for the Osun governorship election, including the clearance of candidates from 14 political parties, the registration of 381,817 new voters during the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise, and plans to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IReV, across all 30 local government areas of the state.

Referring to the recent Ekiti governorship election, Haruna said the BVAS recorded a 96 per cent functionality rate, while the IReV achieved a 98 per cent result upload completion rate.

He expressed confidence that the same technologies would enhance the credibility of the Osun governorship election but raised concerns over declining voter turnout nationwide, noting that fewer than four out of every 10 registered voters were accredited during the Ekiti poll.

Haruna urged media organisations to intensify voter education campaigns and encourage eligible Nigerians to participate in the electoral process while promoting awareness of the IReV portal for result verification.

In her welcome address, the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, described the media as a critical partner in strengthening democracy through accurate reporting and public enlightenment.

She called for sustained collaboration between journalists and the commission to ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible governorship election.

Also speaking, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Mr. Wilfred Ifogah, said the forum was organised to strengthen collaboration between INEC and media professionals, provide updates on preparations for the election and explain the commission’s responsibilities under the Electoral Act 2026.

The Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Osun State Council, Adeyemi Aboderin, pledged the support of journalists in combating vote buying and mobilising voters ahead of the poll.

He expressed optimism that the August 15 governorship election, which will feature 14 political parties, including the ruling party, would record improvements over the recent Ekiti governorship election.