Evidence ledger

What is confirmed

  • Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejects claims that ghost and hired voters took part in the August 15 Osun State governorship election.[1][2]
  • INEC’s Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Dayo Oketola, said the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) made such voting impossible.[1][2]

What remains disputed or unverified

No disputed central claims are recorded for this story.

On Monday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rejected reports that ghost and hired voters had partaken in the August 15 Osun State governorship election. The commission said that the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) made such voting impossible.[1][2]

Origin of the Allegations

Earlier this month, observers noted that claims had surfaced alleging the presence of ghost voters—individuals listed on the ballot who were not physically present in the state—and hired voters, supposedly paid to cast ballots for a particular candidate. These allegations prompted a rapid response from INEC.[1][2]

INEC’s Explanation

INEC’s Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Dayo Oketola, clarified that the BVAS, a biometric system integrated with an SMS verification process, ensures that each voter can only cast a single ballot. “The technology makes it impossible for ghost or hired voters to be used,” Oketola stated, underscoring that the system’s design prevents duplicate or fictitious entries.[1][2]

Version and update history
  1. Version 1 · — Initial source-grounded generation