The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun State, on Thursday dismissed claims that it is registering underage voters ahead of the August 8, 2026 governorship election, describing the allegations as “false, unfounded and deliberately misleading.”
The Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Mutiu Agboke, while speaking in an interview on Eagle 102. 5 FM, Ilese Ijebu, monitored by The Guardian in Ibadan.
Agboke made the clarification following viral social media reports suggesting that secondary school students were mobilised to INEC offices for voter registration.
The REC explained that no underage person was registered at any INEC office in the state, stressing that the incident in question involved an attempted breach which was firmly resisted by electoral 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,” Agboke said.
The REC said that the controversy stemmed from an incident that occurred at the INEC office in Ede North Local Government Area, where a busload of uniformed secondary school students arrived for registration.
“On Friday last week, a busload of students arrived at our Ede North INEC office. On sighting them, the officer on duty immediately resisted the attempt by those who brought them. There were heated arguments, but eventually, nobody was allowed to register,” he stated.
Agboke revealed that while the confrontation was ongoing, an onlooker took photographs of the students and circulated them online, sparking public outrage and false claims that underage registration was taking place. Somebody from a close range took pictures and went online to spread the narrative that INEC was registering underage students. That is completely false,” he added.
Following the incident, the INEC boss said he personally led a delegation to the secondary school involved to investigate the matter and confronted the school authorities. “We deliberately went to the school to find out how those students were mobilised. The Principal was shocked and apologized profusely. He said he did not authorise it and had already written complaints to the Ministry of Education and other authorities for investigation,” Agboke disclosed.
He added that the school management assured INEC that steps were being taken to identify those responsible for mobilising the students, saying, “I warned him that if such an incident happens again, I will not hesitate to involve law enforcement agencies. The principal accepted responsibility and assured us that measures are being taken,” he said.
Responding to criticisms that INEC should have arrested the individuals who transported the students to the registration center, Agboke insisted that INEC is not a law enforcement agency and acted within its legal 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.
He added: “Which law says I must arrest them? My responsibility is to ensure the integrity of the voter register. Once that was secured, our job was done. If there is criminality involved, investigative journalism and security agencies should handle it.”
On allegations of political motives amid speculations that the incident may have political undertones, especially given Ede’s political relevance in Osun State, Agboke said, “I do not deal with insinuations. I deal strictly with facts. I have explained what happened. Anybody is free to speculate, but speculation is not evidence,” he said.
He stressed that INEC remains neutral and unbiased, pledging the commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, and credible election. And on preparations for the August 8, 2026 governorship election, he assured that INEC is already deep into operational planning, including logistics, training, security coordination, and public sensitisation.
“You know, if you don’t talk, if you don’t engage, people will not know what you are saying. They will not even understand. The trust deficit will be high. And that’s why when I got the invitation for this engagement, I was so happy”, he said.
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