CJID sends observers and fact-checkers to Osun for 2026 governorship election

The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has sent observers, fact-checkers and analysts to all 30 Local Government Areas in Osun State for the governorship election on Saturday, 15 August 2026.

An extra 40 experts in election, data, conflict, fact-checking and digital information will also operate from CJID’s Election Analysis Centre. The field and analysis teams will track everything from polling unit openings to voting, counting, collation and the immediate time after the election.

This deployment follows weeks of monitoring the pre-election situation in Osun. CJID’s work has discovered several issues that need close watching. These include political violence and threats, vote buying, election-related misinformation, security issues and doubts about the preparedness of electoral bodies.

CJID’s Conflict Tracker has reported at least 34 violent incidents linked to the election and 18 confirmed deaths in Osun since May 2026. Because of this, the organisation will focus on the safety of voters, journalists and election observers. They will also watch security conduct in areas that have seen violence leading up to the election.

The organisation will also check the digital information environment through its Digital Information Analysis and Data Analysis Centre (DAIDAC). This includes claims about voting procedures, BVAS and result transmission; false or early election results; security rumours; manipulated images, audio and video; impersonation and false endorsements; and possible coordinated efforts to influence election-related discussions online.

CJID’s fact-checking and OSINT teams will work with field observers to confirm important claims as they arise. They will pay special attention to separating isolated incidents from larger trends. Reports of BVAS failures, violence, vote buying or other irregularities will be evaluated based on location, scale and the evidence available before making wider conclusions.

The Election Analysis Centre will combine these different information streams. This allows field reports, digital monitoring, conflict data, media reports and election results to be looked at together. Verified incidents that need action will be communicated to the relevant electoral or security bodies.

"Our interest is in the integrity of the entire process and the quality of information available to citizens as that process unfolds. We want to understand whether people can vote safely, whether the process of counting and collation is credible, and whether citizens have access to reliable information with which to understand what is happening around them," CJID said.

The organisation pointed out that the time around counting and collation needs special attention. False result sheets, premature declarations, misleading claims about result transmission and out-of-context incidents can spread quickly and affect public understanding of the process.

CJID will share verified updates and preliminary observations during the election when needed. They will keep clear differences between incidents observed by their teams, claims verified by their analysts, reports still being verified and broader analyses.

After election day, CJID will keep monitoring the immediate post-election environment. They will look at reactions to the announced result, possible violence or intimidation, information manipulation and new narratives about the credibility of the process.

The deployment in Osun is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria. It is part of CJID’s larger work on electoral accountability, information integrity, fact-checking, media freedom and democratic governance across West Africa.