INEC rejects claims of ghost, hired voters in Osun election

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed allegations that ghost and hired voters participated in the Osun State governorship election held on August 15. The commission stated that the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) made it impossible for such fraudulent voting practices to occur. Dayo Oketola, INEC’s Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, confirmed this during a recent interview with Arise News.

Oketola cautioned against the dissemination of unverified videos and information on social media following the election. He emphasized that with BVAS in place, there is no possibility of ghost voters or hired voters. Oketola explained that voters must be registered and accredited at their designated polling units before casting their ballots.

"You cannot vote in an election unless you have been registered and accredited for that specific polling unit," he asserted. He also noted that voter turnout was recorded at 50.116 per cent, one of the highest rates in recent off-cycle elections. Oketola attributed this high turnout to meticulous preparation and enhanced logistics, encouraging more citizens to participate in elections.

He described the peaceful conclusion of the election as indicative of growing democratic maturity in Nigeria, despite the pre-election tension. In the election, Governor Ademola Adeleke emerged victorious with 511,067 votes, surpassing the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who garnered 444,815 votes.