The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, has warned that anyone caught engaging in electoral irregularities during the 2026 governorship election in the state will face imprisonment.
Speaking during a visit to the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Ede on Tuesday, Agboke said several mechanisms had been put in place to prevent both permanent and ad-hoc staff from engaging in election malpractice.
Noting that, by INEC regulations, corps members serve as electoral staff during elections, he added that they have full control of polling units, which makes adequate training essential.
Agboke advised that the Osun 2026 governorship election would be highly competitive, stressing that politicians could attempt to patronise or waylay corps members, hence the need for vigilance.
He assured that corps members’ welfare, including payments and allowances, would be fully addressed and all personnel deployed for the election would be paid promptly.
Agboke added that INEC was committed to ensuring that the 2026 election would be an improvement on the conduct of the 2023 polls.
“We have realised that there are a lot of complaints, irregularities and observations against the activities of corps members. We now found that the only solution to this is to engage them and to bring them closer to us. This necessitated this visit to the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp today to educate them on the understanding of the rudiment of the job. Election is a job,” he said.
“That one year is for them to work and statutorily they are working for us,” he added.
He urged corps members to pay close attention during training, describing it as one of the major components of the electoral process, and emphasised the need to avoid absenteeism.
Agboke reminded them that elections are held to ensure proper representation and that INEC is constitutionally empowered to conduct both general and off-season elections.
He further advised corps members on election duty to avoid violence and remain alert to threats on election day, warning them against connivance with politicians, deceit or laziness.
In his remarks, the NYSC Osun State Coordinator, Agbor Ndoma Obim, commended INEC for its positive contribution to Nigeria’s electoral cycle.
He said the corps members were prepared to participate in all INEC activities ahead of the 2026 governorship election and expressed appreciation for the commission’s enlightenment efforts.