By Sandra Michaels
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has challenged media practitioners in Osun State to beam their searchlight on vote buying, designating it as a frontline investigative priority ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
The commission urged journalists to ensure their reportage of electoral malpractice is documented with the requisite specificity to facilitate successful prosecution of offenders.
This charge was delivered by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Mohammed Haruna, during a one-day media stakeholders’ forum held in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
Representing the commission, the National Commissioner identified vote buying as the most disturbing trend observed during the June 20, 2026, governorship election in Ekiti State. He noted that political actors and their agents were caught on camera offering cash to voters at polling units, with some resorting to sophisticated methods such as the use of numbered vouchers redeemable outside polling venues to circumvent security checks.
Drawing attention to the legal consequences of such acts, Haruna cited Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates a fine of not less than five million naira, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, upon conviction. Additionally, offenders face a ten-year ban from contesting for any public office.
He, therefore, charged media houses to commit dedicated resources to the issue throughout the election cycle, urging reporters to be diligent in capturing details such as names, locations, monetary amounts, and the operational structures used by vote traders.
Highlighting the commission’s level of preparedness for the Osun poll, the National Commissioner disclosed that the electoral body has cleared candidates from 14 political parties. He added that 381,817 new voters were successfully captured during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) set for deployment across all 30 local government areas of the state.
Earlier in her address, the INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi—represented by the Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Mr. Wilfred Ifogah—explained that the forum was organised to deepen the synergy between the commission and the media, while providing updates on processes outlined in the Electoral Act 2026.
In his goodwill message, the Osun State Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Adeyemi Aboderin, assured the commission of the media’s commitment to the democratic process. He pledged the support of journalists in the state toward curbing electoral malpractices and intensifying voter mobilisation, expressing optimism that the upcoming August 15 election would surpass the outcomes recorded in the Ekiti exercise.
