The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) has deployed election observers, fact-checkers and analysts across the 30 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The deployment is aimed at monitoring developments throughout the electoral process, from the opening of polling units and voting to counting, collation and the immediate post-election period.
The field operation will be complemented by 40 additional experts working from CJID’s Election Analysis Centre. The team comprises election, data, conflict, fact-checking and digital information specialists.
The organisation said its deployment followed weeks of monitoring the pre-election environment in the state, during which it identified issues including political violence, threats, vote-buying, election-related misinformation, security concerns and questions surrounding electoral preparedness.
According to CJID, its Conflict Tracker has recorded at least 34 election-related violent incidents and 18 confirmed deaths across Osun since May 2026. The organisation said particular attention would therefore be given to the safety of voters, journalists and election observers, as well as the conduct of security personnel.
Focus on Election Misinformation
CJID said its digital monitoring teams would track the information environment throughout the election.
Areas of interest include claims concerning voting procedures, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), result transmission, premature or fabricated results, security incidents, manipulated photographs, videos and audio, false endorsements and impersonation.
Its fact-checking and open-source intelligence teams will work alongside field observers to verify significant claims as they emerge.
The organisation said reports involving alleged BVAS failures, violence, vote-buying and other irregularities would be assessed based on their location, scale and available evidence before broader conclusions are drawn.
CJID’s Election Analysis Centre will bring together field reports, digital monitoring, conflict data, media reports and election results to provide a broader assessment of developments during the poll.
The centre will also communicate verified incidents requiring intervention to relevant electoral and security authorities.
Attention on Counting and Collation
CJID said the period immediately after voting, particularly counting and collation, would require close monitoring because false result sheets, premature declarations and misleading reports about result transmission can spread rapidly.
The organisation said it would publish verified updates and preliminary observations where necessary, while clearly distinguishing between incidents directly observed by its teams, independently verified claims, reports still under investigation and broader analytical assessments.
Beyond election day, the organisation plans to continue monitoring reactions to the results, possible violence or intimidation, information manipulation and emerging narratives about the credibility of the electoral process.
The Osun deployment is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria and forms part of CJID’s wider work on electoral accountability, information integrity, fact-checking, media freedom and democratic governance in West Africa.
The deployment comes as other fact-checking organisations are also preparing to monitor misinformation and manipulated content during the Osun election, particularly given concerns about security-related rumours and the increasing use of AI-generated content.
Thenewsbearer/Moy/Cyn
