Osun 2026: INEC Fixes March 11 For Commencement Of Governorship Campaigns

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has fixed March 11, 2026, as the official date for the commencement of political campaigns ahead of the Osun State governorship election.

The announcement was made on Monday by the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Mutiu Agboke, during an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Osogbo to herald the second phase of the Continuous Voter Registration, CVR, exercise.

“By God’s grace, full campaign activities will commence on March 11, 2026. We will still meet with stakeholders, especially political parties, to brief them appropriately,” Agboke said, noting that the Commission would formally notify political actors of the campaign schedule in accordance with the Electoral Act and established guidelines.

He also assured that INEC would issue detailed guidelines to regulate the conduct of political parties throughout the campaign period. “We are going to roll out the protocols and conduct of political parties in line with the Electoral Act, as the relevant sections are there to guide everyone,” he stated.

Agboke stressed that collective effort remained essential to achieving credible elections in the state, adding that cooperation among stakeholders contributed significantly to the success of the first phase of the CVR.

“We want cooperation, understanding and proper togetherness in the execution of INEC activities. The first phase was successful because INEC and stakeholders came together beforehand to identify grey areas,” he said.

According to him, the same collaborative strategy would be adopted for the second phase of the registration exercise in order to sustain earlier achievements.

“As we commence the second phase of the CVR, we believe building on the progress already made will lead to another success,” he added.

In a move to enhance voter participation, Agboke disclosed that INEC plans to rotate registration equipment across various communities to bring the exercise closer to prospective voters.

“Now we are going to start rotation of the CVR, where the IVES will be taken to communities for the registrants to participate.

“The stakeholders agreed with us on this assuring that they will participate and they have also shown their readiness to cooperate and ensure the success of the exercise,” he concluded.