The controversy surrounding the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election has continued to generate reactions, with a coalition of civil society groups calling for an independent investigation into allegations that the election results were manipulated electronically.
The Civil Societies Coalition, under the aegis of the Liberation Movement of Nigeria (LMN) and Vanguard for Human Rights (VHR), alleged that hackers compromised the electoral system in favour of the incumbent Governor, Ademola Adeleke.
The groups called on security agencies and the international community to establish an independent panel to investigate what they described as alleged irregularities surrounding the transmission and collation of results from the election.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, the Lead Activist of the coalition, Comrade Ganiyu Abiola, alleged that the manipulation began before voting ended on election day.
Abiola claimed that some individuals allegedly hacked the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Result Viewing Portal, IReV, with the alleged cooperation of some technical personnel within the electoral body.
According to him, there were discrepancies between figures contained in the physical election result sheets, particularly the EC8 forms, and figures allegedly transmitted to the IReV platform.
He said the alleged discrepancies raised serious questions about the credibility of the process that eventually produced Adeleke as the winner of the election.
“The figures contained in the election sheet results of INEC Form EC8 were different from the election results transmitted to the IReV, which was used to declare Ademola Adeleke as the winner,” Abiola alleged.
The coalition further claimed that the alleged hackers operated from neighbouring Ondo and Oyo states, where they were said to have mapped out their plans on the eve of the election.
Abiola also alleged that the suspected manipulation affected results from some local government areas, including Ede North, Ede South and Egbedore.
However, the allegations have not been independently established, and the coalition’s claims would require investigation by the relevant authorities.
The civil society groups said they were preparing a petition to security agencies, urging them to conduct what they described as a discreet investigation into the alleged hacking of INEC’s system.
The coalition also encouraged parties dissatisfied with the election outcome to seek legal redress rather than rely solely on public claims.
Meanwhile, the group alleged that one Seun Ilori, whom it described as a prominent member of the alleged syndicate, had confessed to participating in the purported hacking operation.
The claim is also yet to be independently verified.
Earlier, former Ekiti State Governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose, had advised parties dissatisfied with the outcome of the Osun election to approach the Election Petition Tribunal.
Fayose reportedly noted that the margin between the leading contenders was close and cautioned that no political party should consider itself beyond scrutiny.