The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has called on electoral and anti-corruption agencies to investigate alleged vote-buying, financial inducement, violence and other electoral offences reported during the 2026 Osun State governorship election.
SERAP made the demand on Sunday, shortly after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party winner of Saturday’s election.
The State Returning Officer, Prof Joshua Ogunwole, Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, announced Adeleke’s victory at about 7:24am on Sunday. Adeleke secured 511,067 votes, defeating the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, who polled 444,815 votes.
According to the results, Adeleke won in 19 of the state’s 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji secured 11. African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salaam, finished third.
In a petition dated August 16, 2026 and signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP asked INEC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to jointly investigate allegations of vote trading, illegal election financing, voter intimidation, violence, misuse of public resources and other electoral violations.
The organisation also called for the involvement of regional and international bodies, including the African Union, ECOWAS, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and relevant United Nations human-rights mechanisms, to provide additional scrutiny of the election.
SERAP said investigators should trace the sources and movement of funds allegedly used for vote-buying and identify individuals or groups that provided, authorised, distributed or facilitated such funds.
It further urged the preservation and examination of banking and mobile-money records, telecommunications data, CCTV footage, polling-unit records and other documentary or digital evidence that could assist investigations.
The organisation said the credibility of the election should be assessed against whether voters were able to freely exercise their political choices without inducement, intimidation, violence or coercion.
SERAP also pointed to preliminary findings from the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub, which reportedly recorded 323 electoral offences and irregularities across 726 polling units observed as of noon on Saturday.
Among the reported incidents were 103 cases of vote trading, 28 instances involving the alleged inducement of polling and security officials, 31 cases of voter obstruction, 38 cases of campaigning at polling units, 14 cases of voter impersonation and 12 cases of multiple voting.
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Observers also reportedly documented seven cases of election-official misconduct and 85 incidents involving exposure of ballot papers.
On the security front, 38 incidents were reportedly recorded, including alleged thuggery, attacks on electoral officials and voter intimidation. SERAP also cited reports of an election observer being harassed and alleged disruption by thugs.
The rights group asked the three agencies to examine compliance with Sections 91 to 94 of the Electoral Act 2026, particularly provisions governing campaign contributions, expenditure and funding sources.
It further called for the investigation, arrest and prosecution, where appropriate, of individuals suspected of committing or financing electoral and corruption-related offences.
SERAP said the agencies should make their findings public and ensure that relevant evidence is made available, where lawful, to electoral tribunals and other accountability bodies. It argued that such action would help deter electoral corruption and violence, restore public confidence in democratic institutions and strengthen preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The organisation stressed that the allegations should be investigated regardless of the election outcome, saying accountability remained necessary to protect the integrity of future elections.
It urged INEC, EFCC and ICPC to publish the results of their investigations and take appropriate legal action if credible evidence establishes that corruption, inducement, coercion or violence materially affected voters or the conduct of the election.
SERAP also requested information from the agencies on the steps being taken in response to its petition.