The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has called on media practitioners in Osun State to place the fight against vote buying at the centre of their election coverage ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, urging journalists to produce investigative reports capable of supporting the prosecution of offenders.
INEC said detailed documentation of incidents, including identities of suspects, locations, amounts exchanged and the methods employed, would strengthen ongoing efforts to curb the growing menace and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process.
The charge was contained in a keynote address delivered by INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Malam Mohammed Kudu Haruna, at a one-day Media Stakeholders’ Forum held on Tuesday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
The address was presented on his behalf by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola.
Haruna described vote buying as the most disturbing development that emerged from the June 20, 2026 governorship election in Ekiti State, saying reports indicated that political actors and their agents openly induced voters with cash at polling units.
According to him, some operatives adopted more sophisticated methods by issuing numbered vouchers that could be redeemed outside polling centres in a bid to evade security surveillance and electoral monitoring mechanisms.
He cited Section 22 of the Electoral Act 2026, which prescribes a minimum fine of N5 million, a prison term of up to two years, or both, for anyone found guilty of vote trading, in addition to a 10-year disqualification from contesting elective office.
“The media must move beyond merely reporting isolated incidents. Editors should dedicate resources to investigating vote buying before, during and after elections, while reporters should document names, locations, amounts involved and the structure of coordination behind such activities,” he said.
He noted that such evidence would complement ongoing enforcement efforts involving INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The National Commissioner further disclosed that the Commission had substantially concluded preparations for the Osun governorship election, including the screening and clearance of candidates sponsored by 14 political parties.
He said a total of 381,817 new voters were registered during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, adding that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) would be fully deployed across all the 30 local government areas of the state.
Haruna pointed to the performance of both technologies during the recent Ekiti governorship election as evidence of their reliability, noting that BVAS recorded a 96 per cent functionality rate, while IReV achieved a 98 per cent success rate in the uploading of polling unit results.
He, however, expressed concern over declining voter participation in elections across the country, observing that fewer than four out of every 10 registered voters turned out during the Ekiti exercise.
The INEC official consequently appealed to media organisations to intensify voter mobilisation campaigns and sustain public enlightenment on the dangers posed by vote buying, while also educating citizens on the use of IReV as a transparent platform for verifying election results.
In her welcome address, the Osun REC, Mrs Babalola, described the media as an indispensable partner in democratic consolidation, noting that objective reportage and sustained civic education remained critical to the conduct of peaceful, credible and acceptable elections.
She called for deeper collaboration between journalists and the Commission to ensure that voters receive accurate information throughout the electoral process.
Also speaking at the forum, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC headquarters, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, who was represented by the Deputy Director of Information and Publicity, Mr Wilfred Ifogah, said the engagement was organised to strengthen the Commission’s relationship with media professionals ahead of the election.
She explained that the forum also provided an opportunity to update stakeholders on INEC’s level of preparedness and clarify key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 as they relate to election coverage and public communication.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Osun State Council, Comrade Adeyemi Aboderin, pledged the support of journalists in the state towards combating vote trading and mobilising citizens to participate actively in the electoral process.
Aboderin expressed optimism that the August 15 governorship election would record better outcomes than the Ekiti poll, particularly in the areas of voter turnout, transparency and public confidence.
The Osun governorship election, scheduled for August 15, 2026, comes less than two months after the Ekiti State election and will feature candidates from 14 political parties, including the incumbent governor seeking another term in office.
