INEC Worries Over Vote Buying Ahead Of Osun Polls
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concern over the growing menace of vote buying ahead of the Osun State’s August 15, 2026 governorship election.
The commission, therefore, urged media practitioners to play a more active role in exposing the practice and support efforts to prosecute offenders.
According to the Commission, journalists should treat vote buying as a major investigative priority before, during and after the election by documenting incidents with sufficient details to aid law enforcement agencies.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Kudu Haruna, stated this on Tuesday in his keynote address delivered at a one-day media stakeholders’ forum in Osogbo, Osun State.
Haruna, who was represented by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, described vote buying as the most disturbing trend recorded during the June 20 Ekiti State governorship election.
He said the Commission expected the media to intensify investigative reporting by identifying the locations, individuals involved, amounts exchanged and the methods used to coordinate vote trading.
Haruna said that such reports would strengthen enforcement efforts involving INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Department of State Services (DSS).
He said the technologies performed credibly during the Ekiti governorship election, with BVAS recording a 96 per cent functionality rate and IReV achieving a 98 per cent result upload completion rate.
In a goodwill message, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, Adeyemi Aboderin, pledged the support of journalists in the state towards combating vote buying and mobilising voters.
Yusuf Oketola is a trained journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry. He has worked for both print and online medium. He is a thorough-bred professional with an eye of hindsight on issues bothering on social justice, purposeful leadership, and a society where the leaders charge and work for the prosperity of the people.
