The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Osun State has dismissed reports alleging the registration of underage voters in the state, describing the claims as false, unfounded and deliberately misleading.
The Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, made this clarification during an exclusive interview on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, while reacting to viral social media images and reports suggesting that secondary school students were mobilised to INEC offices for voter registration ahead of the August 8, 2026 governorship election.
Agboke stated unequivocally that no underage person was registered at any INEC office in Osun State, stressing that the incident that sparked the controversy was an attempted breach that was promptly resisted by INEC officials.
“Let me say clearly that there is nothing, absolutely nothing like underage registration in Osun State. That report is unfounded, spurious and lacks any iota of truth,” the REC said.
Explaining what actually happened, Agboke disclosed that the incident occurred at the INEC office in Ede North Local Government Area, where a bus conveying uniformed secondary school students arrived for registration.
“On Friday last week, a busload of students came to our Ede North office. Immediately the officer on duty sighted them, the attempt was resisted. There were arguments, but nobody was allowed to register. No single underage person was captured,” he explained.
He added that during the confrontation, an onlooker took photographs of the students and circulated them online, creating the false impression that INEC was conducting underage registration.
“Someone took pictures from close range and went online to spread the narrative that INEC was registering underage students. That is completely false,” Agboke said.
The REC further revealed that following the incident, he personally led a delegation to the secondary school involved to investigate the matter and engage the school authorities.
“We went to the school deliberately to find out how the students were mobilised. The principal was shocked and apologised. He said he did not authorise it and had already written to the Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities for investigation,” he disclosed.
According to Agboke, the school management assured INEC that efforts were ongoing to identify those responsible for mobilising the students, while he warned that any recurrence would attract the involvement of law enforcement agencies.
Responding to criticisms that INEC failed to arrest those behind the incident, Agboke said the commission is not a law enforcement agency and acted strictly within its mandate.
“INEC is not a police organisation. Our duty is to prevent illegal registration, and we did exactly that. No underage person entered our register. That is what matters,” he said.
On insinuations that the incident was politically motivated, particularly given Ede’s political significance in Osun State, the REC dismissed such claims, insisting that INEC deals only with facts.
“I do not deal with insinuations. I deal with facts. I have explained what happened. Speculation is not evidence,” he stated, reaffirming the commission’s neutrality and commitment to credible elections.
Agboke also addressed concerns about the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IREV, explaining that BVAS operates offline during accreditation and only requires internet connectivity when uploading results after voting and counting.
“In areas with poor network, presiding officers move to locations with signal. Uploading results is mandatory and it will be done,” he assured.
Speaking on preparations for the 2026 governorship election, the REC said INEC is already deep into operational planning, including logistics, training of personnel, security coordination and public sensitisation.
“Election is not an event, it is a process. Our officers will be trained, ad-hoc staff recruited, logistics arranged and security fully engaged. Osun will not be an exception,” he said.
Agboke added that INEC is working closely with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security to ensure a safe and credible poll, while intensifying voter education across the state through engagements with traditional rulers, religious leaders, markets and transport unions.
To further promote transparency, the REC released official contact lines for residents to report concerns and irregularities, urging the public to engage the commission as partners in the electoral process.
“We are open. Transparency is the foundation of credible elections,” he said.
