SERAP Calls For Joint Probe Into Osun Election Violence, Vote-Buying Allegations
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to conduct a joint investigation into alleged vote-buying, financial inducement, violence and other electoral offences recorded during Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.
The demand came hours after INEC declared Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party the winner of the poll, securing him a second term in office. The State Returning Officer, Professor Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, announced the final results at approximately 7:24 am on Sunday at the INEC state headquarters in Osogbo.
According to the official figures, Adeleke polled 511,067 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress, who secured 444,815 votes. The incumbent won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji carried the remaining 11 councils. The African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished a distant third.
In a petition dated August 16, 2026, and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation urged the three agencies to “urgently, jointly and transparently investigate reported cases of vote-buying, financial inducement, illegal election financing, voter intimidation, violence, misuse of public resources and other electoral offences in connection with the 2026 Osun State governorship election”.
SERAP also called on the agencies to invite and facilitate independent regional and international assessment through the African Union, ECOWAS, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and relevant United Nations human-rights mechanisms as complementary scrutiny to domestic accountability processes.
The organisation further urged the agencies to trace the sources and movement of funds allegedly deployed for vote-buying or other unlawful electoral purposes and to identify those who provided, authorised, distributed, financed or facilitated the alleged conduct. It also called for the preservation and examination of banking and mobile-money records, telecommunications data, CCTV footage, polling-unit records and other documentary and digital evidence.
“The legitimacy and credibility of the Osun State election result ultimately depend upon whether voters were genuinely able to freely exercise their right to participation and political choice,” SERAP said in the petition. “Where voters are allegedly induced with money or other benefits, threatened with violence, intimidated, obstructed or otherwise coerced, serious questions arise as to whether the Osun election reflected the free and genuine will of the electorate”.
The group stressed the importance of a coordinated approach, stating that “a joint investigation by the agencies would ensure coordinated examination of the electoral, financial and criminal dimensions of the reported electoral offences and violations”.
Citing preliminary reports by the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub, SERAP noted that civil society observers recorded 323 electoral offences and irregularities across 726 polling units observed as of noon on election day. The incidents included 103 cases of vote trading, 28 cases of inducement of polling and security officials, 31 cases of voter obstruction, 38 cases of campaigning at polling units, 14 cases of voter impersonation, 12 cases of multiple voting, seven cases of election-official misconduct and 85 cases involving exposure of ballot papers.
The EU observer hub also recorded 38 security incidents, including 25 cases of thuggery, 12 attacks on electoral officials and nine cases of voter intimidation by security personnel. The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room additionally reported cases of vote-buying and other inducements, including the distribution of food items at a polling unit in Isokan Local Government Area, which allegedly caused significant disorder.
SERAP urged the agencies to investigate compliance with sections 91 to 94 of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly provisions relating to campaign contributions, expenditure and sources of funds. It also called on them to investigate, arrest and, where appropriate, prosecute persons reasonably suspected of electoral, corruption or other criminal offences, including those who financed or facilitated the alleged conduct.
“The three agencies should make their findings public and ensure that relevant evidence is available, where lawful and appropriate, to competent electoral tribunals and other accountability mechanisms,” SERAP said. “These measures are important not only for accountability for the Osun election but also for preventing recurrence, deterring electoral corruption and violence, strengthening public confidence in INEC and other institutions, and safeguarding the integrity and credibility of the 2027 general elections”.
The organisation stressed that the reported allegations should be subjected to transparent investigation irrespective of the outcome of the election, adding that accountability was necessary to protect the integrity of future elections.
As of the time of this report, INEC, the EFCC and the ICPC had yet to issue official responses to SERAP’s petition.