By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed concern over the growing threat of vote buying ahead of the Osun State governorship election, warning that the practice could undermine the credibility of the poll if not decisively checked by security agencies.
The Commission raised the alarm on Friday, August 8, 2026, even as the Civil Society Concerns on Election Security in Osun urged the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to remain neutral and professional during the election scheduled for August 15.
A senior INEC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to comment publicly on the election, disclosed that the Commission was over 90 per cent prepared for the exercise, having completed virtually all critical preparations, including the deployment of election materials, training of personnel, and testing of its electoral technology.
The official revealed that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had recently led a five-day comprehensive readiness assessment in the state involving six National Commissioners, directors, senior officials, and technical staff, which included a mock accreditation exercise to test the effectiveness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
He, however, stressed that INEC alone could not guarantee a credible election, noting that the success of the poll would depend on the conduct of security agencies, political parties, and their supporters, describing the political environment in Osun as tense and urging stakeholders to exercise restraint.
He identified vote buying as the Commission’s biggest concern, describing it as a criminal offence under the Electoral Act and one of the greatest threats to the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process, and called on the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to remain professional, impartial, and above board in enforcing the law against offenders.
Also on Friday, the Civil Society Concerns on Election Security in Osun, during a press conference at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, reiterated its call for security neutrality through its Executive Director, Samson Itodo, who warned that public confidence in the electoral process would depend largely on how security personnel conduct themselves before, during, and after the poll.
Itodo described the Osun election as the last major poll ahead of the 2027 general election, stressing that it presented a unique opportunity for institutions to demonstrate neutrality and inspire public trust, while warning that the level of pre-election violence and political tension recorded in parts of the state could undermine confidence if not effectively addressed.
He disclosed that findings from Yiaga Africa’s election observation and risk assessment showed that 13 of Osun State’s 30 local government areas, including Irewole, Osogbo, Boripe, Obokun, Ife North, Ife Central, and parts of Ijesaland, had been classified as high-risk due to recurring violent incidents and heightened political tension, noting that about 34 known fatalities had been recorded across incidents between 2025 and June 2026.
Meanwhile, reactions continued to trail President Bola Tinubu’s Thursday directive ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return to court and vacate the order freezing the Osun State Government’s bank accounts, with political parties, civil society organisations, and security agencies expressing divergent views over the development.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Osun State, in a statement by its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Odesola Oluseye Titus, described the President’s directive as a demonstration of respect for democratic principles and the Rule of Law, saying the action had reinforced confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions and should guide other agencies involved in the electoral process.
IPAC commended Tinubu for his insistence on the independence and professionalism of law enforcement agencies, referencing his position that anti-corruption agencies should discharge their statutory responsibilities independently and professionally, without fear, favour, or political interference, and described the President as the father of the nation.
The council urged INEC, the police, the army, and other security agencies to emulate his example of impartiality, while appealing to political actors to respect the rules of engagement and calling on eligible voters to turn out en masse on election day.
However, the opposition Accord Party demanded the immediate resignation of the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, insisting he should be held accountable for approving what it described as the unconstitutional freezing of the Osun State Government’s accounts.
The party’s National Chairman, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, speaking at a world press conference in Abuja, commended Tinubu for what he termed a timely intervention that prevented a constitutional crisis, but argued that the EFCC chairman had embarrassed the President, damaged Nigeria’s democratic image, and brought the anti-corruption agency into disrepute, insisting that Tinubu should remove Olukoyede from office should he fail to resign voluntarily.
Mgbudem also called for the immediate release of about 60 Accord Party members allegedly detained in Abuja, Osun, and Nasarawa States, warning that their continued detention could heighten political tension ahead of the election, while urging INEC to conduct a free, fair, and credible poll, which he described as a critical test for Nigeria’s democracy ahead of 2027.
In sharp contrast, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, criticised the President’s intervention, warning that directing the EFCC to seek the lifting of the court order could weaken the operational independence of anti-corruption institutions.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Rafsanjani argued that while governance should not be unnecessarily disrupted, presidential intervention in specific enforcement actions created a dangerous precedent, maintaining that the EFCC derives its powers from the law and should be allowed to investigate and prosecute economic crimes professionally, without political interference, and that the proper avenue for redress against any inappropriate Commission decision remained the judiciary rather than executive intervention.
He further stressed that lifting the restriction on the state’s accounts should not signal the end of investigations into the alleged diversion of public funds, insisting that anyone found culpable should face prosecution regardless of political affiliation.
Also weighing in, the House of Representatives Minority Caucus said the President’s directive to the EFCC stemmed from massive public outcry rather than respect for the rule of law, describing the development as exposing deep contradictions and a deliberate plot to intimidate the Osun State Government ahead of the election.
The caucus, in a statement by its Leader, Hon. Fredrick Agbedi, and Spokesman, Hon. Afam Ogene, described the situation as a government at war with itself, pointing out the apparent contradiction between the EFCC spokesman’s earlier claim on national television that the account freeze was done without a valid court order and the President’s subsequent directive ordering the Commission to go to court to vacate the order.
The caucus questioned whether the President was aware of what his appointees were saying and doing, and accused his senior aides of being the first to circulate and defend the EFCC’s initial press release supporting the freeze. It described the August 5 EFCC action as the latest in a sustained campaign of intimidation against Osun by the APC-led Federal Government, alleging that the government had for months illegally withheld and seized statutory allocations due to Osun local governments as a form of economic strangulation aimed at crippling grassroots governance ahead of elections.
It further described the arrest and detention of the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, and others as a direct attack on the institution of the state government.
In the midst of the political exchanges, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, assured Nigerians that the Force had concluded comprehensive security arrangements for the election.
Hosting civil society organisations in Abuja, Disu said the police had no preferred candidate or party and remained committed to ensuring that the lawful choice of the people prevailed, disclosing that adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed across Osun State, with intelligence gathering and threat assessments intensified in collaboration with INEC, the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), and other stakeholders.
He warned that anyone involved in vote buying, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, thuggery, or any other electoral offence would be dealt with according to the law, irrespective of political affiliation, and urged political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, describing elections as contests of ideas rather than violence and intimidation, while encouraging eligible voters to exercise their constitutional rights without fear.
The political atmosphere in Osun became further charged on Friday as the APC asked Governor Ademola Adeleke to apologise to President Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for accusing them of influencing the EFCC’s action against the state government, maintaining that while the President objected to the timing of the account freeze, he did not exonerate the state government from the allegations under investigation by the anti-graft agency.
Also on Friday, 7 August,2026 the World Bishops Council, Africa Chapter, and the Religious Engagement, Christianity, Committee working for Governor Adeleke’s re-election endorsed him for a second term, describing him as a man of destiny who had promoted peace and religious harmony in the state, and announced a seven-day fasting and prayer programme for peaceful elections and the governor’s victory.
In a separate development, the Imole Campaign Council dismissed an alleged oath-taking video circulating on social media and purportedly linked to Governor Adeleke, describing it as a desperate smear campaign orchestrated by the APC, and insisted that Adeleke neither authorised nor participated in any oath-taking exercise, maintaining that his re-election bid was anchored on his performance in office and the goodwill of the people rather than intimidation or superstition.
