The build-up to the August 15 Osun State governorship election took a dramatic turn on Wednesday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party exchanged accusations at a stakeholders’ forum convened by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, in Osogbo.
The meeting, attended by political parties, security agencies and election stakeholders, was briefly disrupted when supporters of the Accord Party booed the Osun State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, while he delivered his address.
Despite the interruption, the police commissioner appealed to political actors and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the election.
“We appeal to all political actors, their supporters and stakeholders to shun violence, avoid inflammatory rhetoric and channel all grievances through lawful means,” Gotan said.
The incident drew criticism from the APC, whose representative, Kehinde Ayantunji, described the disruption as evidence of what he called the Accord Party’s violent disposition.
“You have seen the way they disrupted the process and did not allow us to fully benefit from this civic engagement with INEC. We urge the commission to prioritise a robust security arrangement to guarantee a free, fair and credible election,” Ayantunji said.
He also raised concerns over voting in Ede, alleging that elections in some areas lasted into the early hours during the 2022 governorship poll.
“We experienced voting until 1 a.m. in 2022, which was contrary to INEC guidelines. We want assurances that elections will end within the stipulated time and that no one will be allowed to manipulate the process,” he added.
Responding on behalf of the Accord Party and the Governor Ademola Adeleke Campaign Council, the member representing Ede North, Ede South, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Hon. Bamidele Salam, called on INEC to ensure transparency in the movement of election materials and strict compliance with electronic transmission of results.
“Our party demands strict adherence to the Electoral Act 2026 by ensuring electronic transmission of results from every polling unit. This is the surest way to guarantee transparency and strengthen public confidence in the electoral process,” Salam said.
He also urged the commission not to engage drivers affiliated with the Kazeem Oyewale faction of the National Union of Road Transport Workers for election logistics, alleging political bias, while recommending alternative transport unions.
Salam further alleged that some Accord leaders had been targeted for harassment and arrests ahead of the election.
“We have credible information that several of our leaders, including members of the campaign council, have been marked out for arrest as a means of intimidating our supporters across the state,” he claimed.
In his keynote address, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to conducting a transparent, credible and peaceful election, insisting that INEC had no preferred candidate.
“Our responsibility is to deliver an election that reflects the lawful choice of the people of Osun State. INEC has no preferred candidate, and we remain committed to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026 and our election guidelines,” Amupitan said.
He disclosed that 2,339,233 registered voters would be eligible to vote across the state’s 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units, with 14 political parties participating in the election.
The INEC chairman also announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards had been extended to July 31, revealing that 322,822 PVCs, representing about 62 per cent of available cards, had already been collected.
Amupitan stressed that biometric verification through the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) remained the only valid means of voter accreditation.
“There will be no manual accreditation. Every polling unit result sheet will be scanned and uploaded directly to the IReV portal from the polling unit to ensure transparency,” he said.
He also announced that INEC would conduct a mock accreditation exercise on August 1 across 12 selected local government areas to test the functionality of the BVAS ahead of the election.
On security, Amupitan said the commission had identified potential flashpoints across the state and was working closely with security agencies to ensure peaceful conduct of the poll.
He assured residents that incidents involving the theft of Permanent Voter Cards in Okuku and Ife Central would not compromise the election.
“Stolen PVCs cannot be used to vote because accreditation depends on live biometric verification through the BVAS. The affected cards can be blacklisted, while replacement PVCs will be made available for genuine owners,” he stated.
Earlier, Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, said the commission had successfully completed 11 of the 13 activities outlined in the election timetable.
She added that all sensitive election materials had arrived in the state and were securely stored at the Central Bank of Nigeria in Osogbo, while non-sensitive materials had already been distributed to all 30 local government areas ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
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