The International Press Centre (IPC), in partnership with the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), has called on election stakeholders to work together to ensure a peaceful, credible and inclusive governorship election in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 poll.
The call was made on Thursday during a stakeholders’ interface and media engagement in Osogbo under the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Phase II (EU-SDGN II) programme.
Speaking at the two days event in Osogbo, IPC Executive Director, Lanre Arogundade, described the forthcoming poll as a critical test for Nigeria’s electoral reforms and democratic institutions.
“The Osun election will be the second off-cycle governorship election to be conducted under the new Electoral Act 2026, making it another important test of the Act’s reforms, particularly the mandatory electronic transmission of results from polling units to IREV,” he said.
Arogundade noted that the election, being the last major poll before the 2027 general elections, would significantly shape public confidence in the new leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He urged election managers, security agencies, journalists, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that “our conduct will be guided only by the public interest and the interests of citizens.”
He also highlighted IPC’s pre-election interventions, including the training of journalists and INEC officials on fact-checking, digital literacy, information management and crisis communication, as well as a public opinion poll which found that education, youth empowerment, rural development and agriculture were the leading concerns of Osun residents.
Earlier, IPC Programme Manager, Stella Nwofia charged journalists to uphold professionalism throughout the election period.
“Your reporting must safeguard information integrity, promote inclusivity, and contribute to violence-free, credible elections in Osun State. The credibility of this election and the trust of the people largely rest on the shoulders of the media,” she said.
Also speaking, Executive Director of the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Dr. Akin Akingbulu, said the Osun governorship election would attract national attention and demanded responsible journalism from media practitioners.
“There is no credible election without a credible media, and no democracy without both,” Akingbulu said.
He urged journalists to prioritise civic and voter education, combat misinformation through routine fact-checking, amplify the voices of women, youths and persons with disabilities, and hold electoral institutions accountable with fairness and accuracy.
Representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force also assured participants of their preparedness for the election. Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to conducting a free, fair and transparent election, while the Commissioner of Police, represented by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ojelabi, assured residents that adequate security measures had been put in place to protect voters, election officials and electoral materials.
The organisers said additional pre-election activities, including citizens’ engagements and election environment assessments, would be carried out before the August 15 governorship election as part of efforts to strengthen democratic governance and promote credible electoral processes in the state.
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