The 2026 Osun Governorship Election is being held today, 15 August, across 30 Local Government Areas, 332 wards and 3,763 polling units. According to INEC, Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters, of whom 1,906,390, or 81.5 per cent, collected their Permanent Voter Cards.
The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is observing the election through reporters deployed across the state and an Election Analysis Centre comprising election analysts, researchers, fact-checkers and media practitioners.
Opening of Polls
As of 8:00 a.m., CJID had received reports from 26 of Osun State’s 30 LGAs. In most locations reported, INEC officials were setting up polling units, displaying voter registers and arranging election materials, with party agents and security personnel also present.
Early voter arrival was one of the most consistent patterns in the pre-opening reports. Voters were already checking their names or forming queues in several LGAs before the scheduled commencement of voting. This created some congestion around voter registers in Egbedore, Irewole and a few other locations, although officials were observed intervening to organise the process.
In Iwo, CJID is verifying a report of possible voter inducement after an observer saw voters being assigned numbers and separately received claims that money had been promised. No exchange of money had been independently observed at the time of the report. Separately, a reporter in Atakunmosa West reported being threatened while documenting activities at a polling unit, and the incident has been escalated for appropriate attention.
Midday Trends
By midday, voting was continuing across most locations monitored by CJID, with no widespread violence reported. As voting progressed, however, reports of possible voter inducement became more frequent, alongside incidents involving interference with journalists, observers and polling agents.
1. Allegations of vote-buying are becoming more explicit and widespread
Reports received during the late morning show an increasing number of allegations of voter inducement. In Iwo, a voter alleged that political parties were offering ₦20,000 to voters in the queue at Isale Oba 2. In Ilesa East, CJID received an unverified report alleging payments of ₦50,000 per voter involving two political parties at the Correspondence School polling unit. Reporters in Boluwaduro and Ola-Oluwa also observed voters discussing alleged payments before voting.
These reports remain at different stages of verification. Their recurrence across several LGAs, however, makes voter inducement an important issue to watch through the remainder of voting.
2. Journalists, observers, and polling agents report interference
CJID has received reports of interference with election monitoring and documentation in several locations. In Irewole, a reporter was reportedly compelled to delete photographs, while a polling agent was assaulted and had his phone seized. Journalists were also challenged while taking photographs in Ife Central and Ilesa East. Earlier in Atakunmosa West, a CJID reporter reported being threatened with damage to his phone while documenting activities at a polling unit.
The incidents vary in severity, but together they raise concerns about the ability of journalists, observers and polling agents to document the process freely in some locations. This becomes particularly important as voting moves into counting and collation, when independent documentation may be needed to establish what occurred where disputes arise.
3. The security environment remains broadly stable, but emerging incidents require attention
CJID had not recorded widespread election-day violence across the monitored locations as of midday. The earlier altercation in Iwo resulted in no reported injuries, and security personnel were present at many of the polling locations observed.
The absence of widespread violence, however, does not capture the entire security picture. Reports of assault, threats and interference with election monitoring point to more localised forms of coercion that may affect participation or scrutiny even where voting itself continues.
4. BVAS and polling operations remain generally functional
BVAS has generally remained functional across monitored locations. Observers reported isolated difficulties with facial authentication, processing and devices requiring restarts. These caused delays in some polling units but, as of midday, CJID had not observed evidence of a broader BVAS-related disruption.
5. Turnout remains uneven
Observer reports show considerable variation in voter presence across monitored locations. In Ejigbo, particularly RA 08 (Ife-Odan B/Masifa), substantial numbers of voters were reported at polling units observed by CJID. In Oriade, observers reported comparatively fewer voters relative to the number registered at some monitored polling units.
These observations do not yet provide a basis for estimating turnout at LGA or state level. The variation is nevertheless worth tracking through the close of voting, particularly alongside differences in polling-unit opening times and the security conditions reported across the state.
Midday Assessment
As of midday, two dimensions of the election are becoming visible. Operationally, voting is proceeding across most locations monitored by CJID, BVAS is generally functioning, and the widespread violence feared ahead of the election has not materialised at this stage.
At the same time, questions around electoral integrity are becoming more prominent. Reports of possible voter inducement are emerging from several LGAs, while incidents involving journalists, observers and polling agents suggest that scrutiny of the process is being resisted in some locations.
These developments will require attention beyond the individual polling units where they occur. Voter inducement raises questions about the freedom with which electoral choices are being made, while interference with journalists, observers and polling agents can limit independent documentation of the process, particularly as voting moves into counting and collation.
During the remainder of voting, CJID will continue to assess whether reports of inducement appear in additional locations, whether interference with election monitors persists, and whether the generally stable security and BVAS situation observed during the morning is sustained through counting and collation.
CJID calls on election officials and security agencies to protect the lawful work of accredited journalists, observers and polling agents and to respond promptly to credible reports of voter inducement, intimidation or interference.
