The controversy over the outcome of the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election has resurfaced, with a coalition of civil society groups alleging that the poll was manipulated through the hacking of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) electronic results transmission system.
The coalition, operating under the Liberation Movement of Nigeria (LMN) and Vanguard for Human Rights (VHR), has called on security agencies and the international community to establish an independent panel to investigate the alleged manipulation and identify those responsible.
Speaking in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, September 3, 2026, the coalition’s lead activist, Comrade Ganiyu Abiola, alleged that the manipulation began before voting commenced on election day.
Abiola claimed that the alleged hackers compromised INEC’s IReV (Result Viewing) portal, purportedly with the assistance of some technical personnel within the electoral body.
He further alleged that figures recorded on election result sheets, including Form EC8, did not correspond with results transmitted to the IReV platform. According to him, the alleged discrepancies were subsequently used in the process that led to the declaration of Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke as the winner of the election.
The coalition also alleged that members of the purported hacking operation were stationed in neighbouring Ondo and Oyo states on the eve of the election, where they allegedly coordinated their activities.
Abiola claimed that results from several local government areas were allegedly tampered with, specifically mentioning Ede North, Ede South and Egbedore, among others.
The activist urged political parties and candidates dissatisfied with the election outcome to pursue their grievances through the courts. He said the coalition was also preparing a formal petition to security agencies, requesting a discreet investigation into what it described as evidence of alleged interference with INEC’s electronic results system.
The group further alleged that a man identified as Seun Ilori had confessed to being a member of the purported hacking syndicate. However, the statement did not provide details of the alleged confession or supporting evidence that could independently establish the claim.
The fresh allegations have added another dimension to the post-election dispute in Osun, where questions over the results and the conduct of the election continue to generate political debate.
Earlier, former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, advised parties dissatisfied with the outcome to approach the Election Petition Tribunal for redress. Fayose also cautioned that no participant in the election should present itself as completely blameless, noting the closeness of the contest.
The coalition maintained that an independent investigation would help determine whether the alleged discrepancies between the physical result sheets and electronically transmitted results occurred and, if so, whether they had any impact on the final outcome.
As of September 4, 2026, the allegations of hacking, manipulation of the IReV platform and the purported confession attributed to Seun Ilori had not been independently verified by Entrust Media. There is also no established evidence in the material reviewed for this report showing that Governor Adeleke or INEC authorised, participated in or had prior knowledge of any alleged hacking operation.
