Osun State election monitoring and misinformation efforts

In preparation for the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026, various organizations have launched initiatives to combat misinformation and monitor potential violence.

FactCheck Africa inaugurated the ‘TruthGuard Election Integrity and Misinformation Situation Room’ to provide real-time monitoring and rapid responses to deepfakes, hate speech, and false claims. This effort follows warnings from the National Peace Committee, which identified 15 local government areas in Osun as being at risk for election-related violence, including shootings and assaults on officials.

By mid-August, the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition (NFC) expanded these efforts by establishing situation rooms in Abuja and Lagos. Partnering with groups such as Africa Check and the Digital Africa Research Lab, the coalition aims to track narratives that could incite violence or undermine public trust. Concurrently, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) highlighted that misinformation, vote buying, and violence remain significant factors eroding voter confidence and contributing to apathy among young Nigerians.