Nigerian youth are far too often viewed as the tragic casualties of election cycles, who are either sidelined as passive onlookers or weaponized as instruments of electoral violence. Following widespread dissatisfaction with the process of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections, South-West youth joined forces with their peers across the 36 states and Abuja under the Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija) to advocate for electoral reform. They conducted countrywide surveys and youth forums, agreed on priority recommendations such as mandatory electronic transmission of election results for transparency, and presented memoranda to the National Assembly. To advocate for the National Assembly to pass our constitutional and electoral act amendment recommendations, we carried out in-person and virtual engagements with federal and state legislators across the country and secured their commitments to support us.

The National Assembly passed the Electoral Act 2026 in February 2026, and it was immediately signed into law by the president. This was a big milestone for young people across the country who want improvements in our electoral process and consistently took bold steps towards reforming our laws. We were, however, disappointed with the proviso in section 60(3) of the Electoral Act 2026, which speaks to election officials prioritizing the manual collation process whenever there are communication challenges during elections. We were also disappointed that the constitutional amendment bills we were supporting had not been passed, but redirected our focus towards ensuring that the Electoral Act 2026 is strictly implemented during the off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

Uniting Electoral Stakeholders: Osun Youth Step Up to Guard the Vote

As the August 15, 2026 Osun State off-cycle gubernatorial election edges closer, Osun youth are leaving nothing to chance in promoting a peaceful, credible and inclusive election. Between 2024 to 2026, Osun youth joined their peers in the countrywide advocacy that resulted in the passage of the Electoral Act 2026, and are now engaging electoral stakeholders and their peers across the state, to ensure that the will of the people prevails on election day. On July 16, 2026 the YERP-Naija campaign convened a Multi-stakeholder Roundtable on Legal Compliance and Electoral Integrity in Osogbo, Osun State, to promote a peaceful and credible gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026. The roundtable brought together young people from civil society organizations (CSOs) and National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), and electoral stakeholders including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, and professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), among others.

During the roundtable, Osun youth and other electoral stakeholders spoke frankly and passionately about the opportunities and challenges ahead of the Osun election, based on the new Electoral Act and lessons learned during the June 20, 2026 Ekiti State off-cycle gubernatorial election. Participating electoral stakeholders commended the passage of the Electoral Act 2026, especially the inclusion of mandatory electronic transmission of election results, noting, however, some areas, especially the proviso in section 60 (3) which whittles down mandatory transmission of results, should be deleted. They also called for a more transparent and credible result management process, noting that trust in the electoral process was low and the Osun election provided an opportunity for INEC to rebuild public trust.

Participants discussed existing problems, including buying and selling of votes and polling unit congestion which were observed during the 2026 Ekiti off-cycle gubernatorial election, and asked it be curbed during the Osun election.
What Osun Electoral Stakeholders are Asking of INEC

Osun youth and other electoral stakeholders called on INEC to be non-partisan and conduct a transparent and credible gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026, that will represent the will of the Osun people, in line with the commitment they made at the roundtable. The Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) committed during the roundtable that “today from INEC, I want to assure everyone here that we are committed to conducting an election that will be free, fair, inclusive, and credible.” The stakeholders noted that election results were not transmitted directly from polling units to the IREV in many places during the 2026 Ekiti off-cycle gubernatorial election and asked INEC to ensure 100 percent compliance during the Osun gubernatorial election. For transparency, Osun stakeholders also called on INEC to make public the process of transmitting the electronic results sheets (eEC8A) for collation through the Bimodal Voting and Accreditation System (BVAS). This process is currently only seen and monitored by INEC. INEC was also told to provide additional guidance on using the downloadable PVCs, which they commendably did shortly after this roundtable.

Curbing Violence in Osun: An Urgent Call to Security Agencies

Osun youth and other electoral stakeholders at the Osogbo roundtable were clear that the August 15, 2026 Osun off-cycle gubernatorial election may be marred if incidents of electoral violence continue to rise. They called on the police and other security agencies to be nonpartisan, increase statewide surveillance, and arrest, investigate, and prosecute the sponsors and perpetrators of electoral violence. They also called on security agencies to provide joint weekly updates on arrests, prosecutions, and convictions to demonstrate progress and serve as deterrence, which they noted was currently not visible. The Osun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) appeared on a YERP-Naija Radio Program on August 7, 2026 and assured voters of their safety and provided police Control Room Phone number for election day reporting. He assured Osun people that the control room has other sister agencies such as the Army, NSCDC, Immigration, and DSS with whom they are collaborating.

Speaking to the Hearts and Minds of Osun Youth

Electoral stakeholders at the Osun roundtable called on Osun youth to avoid violence, decline selling their votes, and go out and vote en masse for the candidates of their choice during the August 15, 2026 gubernatorial election. The youth were called upon to be vigilant and report the sponsors of electoral violence and incidents of electoral violence. According to INEC, young people constitute 33% of registered voters in Osun State, and many people are looking up to them to sustain their positive participation in the electoral process and contribute to making the Osun election one that the State can be proud of.

Educating and Mobilizing Voters: What Osun Youth are Doing Across the State

To educate youth on changes to our electoral laws and encourage them to go out and vote on election day, the YERP-Naija campaign has been engaging young people in the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Osun State through in-person engagements and media outreach over the past month. Young volunteers in the 30 LGAs in Osun have been carrying out in-person voter education to encourage their peers to vote for the candidates of their choice at schools, worship places, markets, offices, social places such as restaurants, and traditional events, among many others. To complement the ongoing in-person voter education and voter sensitization, the YERP-Naija campaign has also been broadcasting hundreds of jingles across six radio stations with reach across the state and posting on different social media platforms.

Conclusion: Why the Youth Vote Must Count
The votes of Osun youth, and other voters, should and must count during the August 15, 2026 gubernatorial election because the spirit and letter of our Constitution and Electoral Act safeguard it. The votes of Osun youth must count because they have paid their dues by actively contributing to the advocacy that led to the passage of the Electoral Act 2026, and are sensitizing voters to register, collect their permanent voters’ cards (PVC), and vote on election day. The votes of Osun youth must count because youth volunteers under the YERP-Naija campaign will be monitoring INEC’s compliance with the law across all 30 LGAs on election day. The votes of the Osun youth must count because credible elections are a major pillar of democracy, and the Nigerian State owes its citizens a responsibility to ensure elections are fair.

By Enock O. Yetunde
Yetunde is the Osun State Coordinator, Youth Electoral Reform Project (YERP-Naija)