Ekiti, Osun Polls: Votes Sold For N50,000 - EU Observer

An election monitoring coalition supported by the European Union has reported widespread vote-buying during the 2026 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, with some voters allegedly paid up to ₦50,000 to influence their choices.

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The group, the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub, disclosed this in Abuja while presenting its assessment of the governorship polls conducted in Ekiti in June and Osun in August.

Presenting the report, Prof. Bolade Eyinla warned that the increasing organisation of vote trading posed a serious danger to electoral credibility and the right of citizens to freely choose their leaders.

He said the coalition documented 84 verified electoral incidents, with vote-buying accounting for 77 per cent of the cases.

According to him, political party agents featured in at least 90 per cent of the reported incidents.

Eyinla disclosed that vote trading represented 69 per cent of the verified incidents in Osun, expressing concern that the group had yet to receive information about arrests, investigations or prosecutions arising from the alleged malpractice.

He explained that the practice involved voters displaying their marked ballot papers to party agents for confirmation that they had voted as instructed before receiving payment.

The professor warned that failure to hold offenders accountable could embolden those involved in electoral fraud, undermining public confidence in the democratic process.

The observation group called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to make results available at the ward level, arguing that publishing the figures would improve transparency and make it easier to identify discrepancies during elections.

Despite its concerns about vote-buying, the coalition praised INEC for the conduct of the Ekiti and Osun elections, noting that voting began early and the official results largely tallied with figures independently gathered by observers. Security agencies were also commended for helping to maintain order.

The Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society, Dr Akin Akingbulu, said the coalition deployed 598 observers to Ekiti’s 16 local government areas and 823 to Osun’s 30 local government areas. He added that the more than 1,400 trained observers monitored polling units, verified incidents and documented their findings to support an evidence-based assessment of the elections.