The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has urged journalists in Osun State to prioritise reporting on vote-buying during the governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026.
The commission stated this in a keynote address delivered by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, at the one-day media stakeholders’ forum held on Tuesday in Osogbo.
The address was read on his behalf by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola.
Mr Haruna described vote-buying as the most alarming development to emerge from the June 20, 2026, Ekiti State governorship election.
He noted that political actors and their agents were 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 N5 million, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, as well as a 10-year disqualification from contesting public office for persons convicted of vote trading.
Mr Haruna called on editors to dedicate resources to investigating vote-buying before, during and after Election Day, urging reporters to document the identities of those involved, the locations, amounts exchanged and how the operations are coordinated.
He said such reports would feed into an enforcement framework involving INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service.
Mr Haruna also said the commission had concluded major pre-election preparations for the Osun governorship election, including the clearance of candidates from 14 political parties, the enrolment of 381,817 new voters during the continuous voter registration, and arrangements to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) across all 30 local government areas.
According to him, the performance of technology in the Ekiti election—where BVAS recorded a 96 per cent functionality rate and IReV achieved a 98 per cent result-upload completion rate—would serve as a benchmark for the Osun poll.
He also expressed concern over declining voter turnout nationwide, noting that fewer than four in every 10 registered voters were accredited during the Ekiti governorship election.
Mr Haruna urged media organisations to use their platforms to mobilise voters while sustaining public enlightenment on the dangers of vote-buying and the importance of verifying election results through IReV.
