By Lateef Ibrahim with agency report
The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Osun State, has dismissed allegations circulating on social media that underage persons were registered as voters in Ede North Local Government Area.
The allegation, shared on Facebook, claimed that schoolchildren dressed in uniforms were registered at the INEC Local Government Office in Ede North on Friday, February 6, 2026.
In a statement by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mutiu Agboke, and issued by Musa Olurode, the Public Affairs Officer, on Monday in Osogbo, INEC Osun described the claim as false and misleading.
It also stressed that no underage person was registered at the office on the said date.
INEC confirmed that some students of YTD Grammar School, Ojoro, Ede, arrived at the Ede North office in school uniforms with the intention of registering.
According to the Commission, officials on duty denied the students access to the premises in line with existing laws and guidelines governing voter registration.
“The Electoral Officer and other officials, acting in strict compliance with the law, refused them entry into the office premises. Consequently, no underage person was registered,” the statement said.
INEC reiterated that “only Nigerian citizens who have attained the age of 18 years are eligible for voter registration, in accordance with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, and the Electoral Act, 2022.”
The Commission added that its officials had been clearly instructed to enforce the age requirement without exception across the state.
INEC further assured residents that the Osun State office, under the leadership of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Mutiu Agboke, would not “engage in, condone or permit any action capable of compromising the credibility and integrity of the voter registration process.”
The Commission urged members of the public to disregard the social media post and rely on information from official INEC communication channels.
The electoral umpire also called on parents, school authorities and community leaders to sensitise young persons on the legal requirements for voter registration.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
