The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced March 11, 2026, as the official commencement date for political campaigns ahead of the Osun State governorship election.
The disclosure was made on Monday by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, during an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Osogbo to mark the launch of the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
“By God’s grace, full campaign activities will commence on March 11, 2026,” Agboke said. “We will continue to engage stakeholders, particularly political parties, to properly brief them on the campaign timetable and requirements.”
He explained that INEC would formally communicate the campaign schedule in line with the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines, while also issuing detailed protocols to regulate political activities during the campaign period.
“We are going to roll out the rules and codes of conduct guiding political parties, as clearly provided for in the Electoral Act. These provisions are there to guide all participants,” he stated.
Agboke stressed the need for collective responsibility and collaboration to ensure credible and peaceful elections in the state. Reflecting on the success of the first phase of the CVR, he attributed the outcome to early and sustained engagement with key stakeholders.
“The first phase was successful because INEC and stakeholders worked together ahead of time to identify and address grey areas,” he noted.
According to him, the same collaborative approach would be applied to the ongoing second phase of the CVR to consolidate earlier gains.
“As we commence the second phase of the CVR, we are confident that building on the progress already achieved will deliver another successful exercise,” Agboke said.
To further enhance voter participation, the REC announced plans to rotate registration equipment across communities, making the process more accessible to eligible voters.
“We will begin the rotation of the CVR, where INEC Voter Enrolment Systems (IVES) will be taken directly to communities to enable more residents to register,” he explained.
Agboke added that stakeholders had welcomed the initiative, pledging their cooperation to ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the registration exercise.
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