The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has called on youths in Osun State to actively participate in the electoral process and vote for candidate of their choice as residents prepare to elect a new governor on August 8, 2026.
KDI made the call on Thursday during the Osun DemTalk, a forum held at the Aurora Centre, Osogbo. The event brought together youths from various organisations across the state to engage in in-depth discussions on democracy and to address the growing trend of voter apathy, particularly among those who possess Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) but fail to vote on election day.
In his opening remarks, the KDI Team Lead, Bukola Idowu, said there was an urgent need to have meaningful conversations around democracy ahead of the governorship election.
He noted that one of the major obstacles to free and fair elections, as identified by KDI, is the spread of misinformation and disinformation.
According to him, uninformed voters constitute one of the greatest threats to credible elections.
Idowu stated, “Anybody coming out to vote in ignorance is as dangerous as an armed robber because such a person is not analysing issues, not voting out of conviction, but merely voting without adequate information. That is why many voters appear sincere, but in most cases, they are sincerely misinformed.”
Speaking further on the menace of misinformation and disinformation, the KDI team lead explained that the organisation’s research and analysis revealed that one of the major challenges in the upcoming general and state elections—including those in Ekiti and Osun—will be the spread of false information, increasingly powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In his goodwill message, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Osun State, Dr Mutiu Agboke, urged youths to discard the notion that their votes do not count.
Agboke assured participants that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Osun, under his leadership, is committed to ensuring that every valid vote counts and that only candidates who secure the highest number of votes will be declared winners.
He appealed to youths to collaborate with INEC in delivering a credible and transparent election.
“Whatever conversations we hold here today will only be meaningful if, on election day, you team up, work together, and find ways to assist INEC in achieving its mandate. It is not enough to only know how to criticise,” he said.
Contributing as one of the panelists, Daniel Odeyemi, encouraged journalists in the state to remain steadfast in performing their duties by providing accurate and timely information that will keep the public well-informed throughout the electoral process.
Blaze Newz
