Security Blanket Deployed Across Osun Ahead of Governorship Election
There is a heavy security presence across Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, as authorities intensify measures to prevent further violence and ensure a peaceful electoral process.
The governorship contest has been intense, with pockets of violence reported in parts of the state. Several people, mostly believed to be cultists supporting different political interests, have reportedly been killed, while some civil society organisations monitoring the incidents have put the death toll at more than 30. The latest incident occurred in Ilesa on Tuesday, where three people were reportedly killed, with claims that as many as 12 people were killed within 24 hours.
The development has prompted the deployment of soldiers, policemen and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to major parts of the state. Soldiers in camouflage have been patrolling Osogbo, the state capital, as well as identified hotspots including Fagbewesa, Ola-Iya, Old Garage, Oke-Fia, Oke-Baale and Ilesa Garage. Additional military personnel arrived in Osogbo on Wednesday evening, while policemen from the Special Protection Unit, Mobile Police Force and Intelligence Response Team also arrived from Kwara, Oyo and Delta states.
The police have warned political thugs and other troublemakers to stay away from the election, which will hold across the state’s 30 local government areas. Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, said the police would not tolerate violence, urging candidates and party leaders to restrain their supporters from engaging in thuggery.
Disu, who deployed Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ishyaku Mohammed to coordinate the security arrangements, said the police remained committed to professionalism, neutrality, respect for human rights and the protection of the electoral process.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to commence the distribution of sensitive electoral materials to the local government areas on Thursday, ahead of Saturday’s poll.
Governor Ademola Adeleke has also declared Friday a public holiday to enable workers to travel and make preparations to vote. The directive covers all categories of workers except those on emergency and essential duties.
The political parties have also intensified their final mobilisation ahead of the election. APC leaders, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo and House of Representatives member James Faleke, arrived in Osogbo ahead of the party’s final rally for its governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
The Accord, African Democratic Congress and African Action Congress have equally stepped up their campaigns. AAC presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore, who addressed supporters at a rally in Osogbo, urged voters to support the party’s governorship candidate, Olajide Esan, describing him as capable of providing effective leadership in the state.
The ADC, meanwhile, raised concerns over an alleged plan to arrest its National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, ahead of the election. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the alleged move could heighten tension and urged security agencies to follow due process if Aregbesola was required for questioning.
Separately, Senator Francis Fadahunsi appeared before the Osun State Police Command on Wednesday over a controversial statement made in Yoruba during a gathering in Ilesa. Fadahunsi, who was later released, said his remarks had been taken out of context and insisted that he was referring to defeating Accord with votes rather than calling for violence.
INEC has also included the Social Democratic Party candidate, Francis Olugbenga Ajala, and his running mate, Faseke Babajimi Oladipo, on the ballot following a Federal High Court judgment delivered on July 22, 2026. The commission said the development brings the number of political parties contesting the election to 15 and that the reproduced ballot papers and result sheets would be distributed ahead of the poll.
The Nigerian Bar Association has meanwhile called on electoral officials, security agencies, political actors and public office holders to uphold the rule of law and remain neutral. NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, made the appeal during visits to INEC and the police in Osun State, stressing that the outcome of the election must reflect the freely expressed will of the people.
The Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, assured the NBA delegation that INEC was prepared for the election, adding that election personnel had undergone extensive training to minimise human error and safeguard the integrity of the process. She also assured voters that every valid vote would count.