Jelili Gbadamosi
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned political parties against using the voter register to perpetrate vote buying, intimidation and other electoral offences ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.
The warning came on Thursday as the commission presented the Electronic Register of Voters to political parties in Osogbo, revealing that 2,339,233 registered voters are eligible to participate in the poll.
Speaking during the presentation, Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, said the register should be used to engage voters on ideas, programmes and policies rather than for inducement and other unlawful practices.
“The Register of Voters must never be used as an instrument to perpetuate vote buying, voter inducement, intimidation or any other form of electoral malpractice,” she said.
According to Babalola, the electronic register will enable political parties to review the list of eligible voters across the state, plan their campaigns and reach out to the electorate in a lawful and meaningful manner.
She explained that the release of the register was in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 (as amended), which mandates INEC to compile, update and make available the register of voters to political parties before elections.
The REC reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, credible and transparent governorship election, noting that necessary administrative, operational, technological and logistical arrangements were already being put in place.
She also appealed to political parties, candidates, supporters and residents of the state to maintain peace and shun violence, hate speech, misinformation and other actions capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
Babalola stressed that the success of the election would depend on the collective efforts of political parties, security agencies, the media, civil society organisations, election observers and the electorate.
She thanked stakeholders for sustaining a peaceful political atmosphere in the state and expressed confidence that continued cooperation would ensure a credible governorship election on August 15.
