Participants at a stakeholder engagement on “Youth and Election Nexus Ahead of the 2026 Osun State Gubernatorial Election” have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Civil Society Organisations, tertiary institutions and media houses to take urgent steps to address low youth participation, voter apathy, and the rising number of invalid votes in elections.
The engagement was convened by Broad-Focus for Community Development, BFCD, on Friday, July 24, 2026, in Osogbo.
Attendees at the programme include representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission, civil society organisations, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, youth groups and development practitioners.
In a communique issued on Monday, a copy obtained on Tuesday in Osogbo, stakeholders at the meeting observed that youth participation in Nigeria’s electoral process remains low, using previous election data from Osun State, Ekiti State, and the 2023 general elections as reference.
They also noted the unavailability of age- and gender-disaggregated data of accredited voters on election day, which they said makes it difficult to justify the level of youth involvement with verified data.
The forum further observed the increase in the number of invalid votes recorded, especially during the 2018 Osun governorship election. It stressed the need for aggressive voter education campaigns ahead of the August 15, 2026 guber poll.
Participants also expressed concern about voter apathy among young people, attributing it to limited civic and political education, a poor understanding of electoral processes, insecurity, economic hardship, and the high number of higher institutions in Osun.
They noted that many non-Osun residents who registered in the state often fail to vote because they travel home on the public holiday declared for elections.
To address these issues, the stakeholders urged “INEC to publish age-disaggregated accreditation statistics during elections to facilitate evidence-based analysis of youth participation, continue strengthening voter education initiatives in collaboration with CSOs, support research and data accessibility, and sustain partnerships for free, fair, inclusive and credible elections.”
They also appealed to “Civil Society Organisations to expand voter education programmes across communities, increase advocacy on youth participation before, during and after elections, strengthen collaboration with educational institutions through sustained school outreaches, and develop innovative civic engagement strategies to address voter apathy.”
The communique also asked authorities of secondary and higher institutions to encourage regular school-based voter education programmes to build civic consciousness before students attain voting age, promote continuous civic education by integrating democratic values and electoral literacy into youth development initiatives, and collaborate with CSOs to provide platforms for voter sensitisation.
Media institutions were tasked to increase awareness on youth inclusion in democratic processes and decision-making, strengthen advocacy against vote buying, voter apathy and electoral violence through continuous public sensitisation, and promote objective reporting while countering misinformation and disinformation especially during campaign periods.
The communique, a copy of which was submitted to the INEC headquarters in Osogbo on Monday, was signed by Miss Goodness Adebayo, Program Manager and Drafting Committee Chairperson; Mr Arinola Peter and Adepeju Adebayo, both Drafting Committee Members; Mr Vincent Enike, Executive Director, Broad-Focus for Community Development; and Mr Festus Ojewumi, Executive Director, Providence Consulting, representing all other participants present at the gathering.
