Political candidates, INEC and security agencies pledge a peaceful August 15 election as officials warn against violence and vote buying

Fourteen candidates contesting the August 15 Osun governorship election signed a peace accord in Osogbo on Thursday, pledging to support a peaceful electoral process as the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies issued firm warnings against violence, vote buying and attempts to undermine the ballot.

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The Osun poll peace accord was signed by Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the Accord platform, while representatives of All Progressives Congress candidate Bola Oyebamiji and African Democratic Congress candidate Dr Najeem Salaam signed on their behalf.

The agreement was witnessed by political stakeholders, civil society representatives, electoral officials and senior security personnel as the state enters the final phase of preparations for a closely watched governorship contest.

John Cardinal Onaiyekan, who delivered a welcome address on behalf of the National Peace Committee Chairman and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, said the accord marked another important step in efforts to promote dialogue, strengthen trust and prevent political competition from becoming a trigger for violence.

Onaiyekan urged political parties and their supporters to respect the spirit and letter of the agreement, stressing that the signing should represent a serious commitment rather than a ceremonial exercise.

“This signing of the accord is not just a formality or a ritual; it is supposed to mean something serious, that we take this matter seriously,” he said.

He also appealed to political actors to conduct the remainder of their campaigns with restraint and civility, while urging the electoral commission to uphold the rules governing the poll.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, said the candidates had sent a powerful message by committing themselves to non-violence and mutual respect.

According to Amupitan, democracy can only thrive when peace prevails and citizens are allowed to freely express their choices at the ballot box.

He called on political parties, candidates and supporters to adhere strictly to the terms of the agreement and warned that anyone attempting to disrupt the election or engage in vote buying would face the full weight of the law.

“We will not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force. Insecurity is a direct assault on the sanctity of the ballot,” Amupitan said.

The INEC chairman disclosed that 11 of the 13 activities on the commission’s election timetable had been completed, leaving the end of campaigns on August 13 and election day on August 15 as the remaining major milestones.

Amupitan said INEC would deploy personnel across the state’s 30 local government areas and the Modakeke Area Office, covering 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units.

He put the number of eligible voters on the certified register at 2,339,233 following the Automated Biometric Identification System exercise.

The commission, he added, had recorded the collection of 322,822 Permanent Voter Cards, representing 62 per cent of newly registered voters.

To give more voters an opportunity to participate, INEC extended PVC collection at its local government offices until Friday, July 31.

Amupitan also expressed concern over reports of violence and threats in some parts of Osun, saying the commission had adopted a more proactive approach to election security through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

He said intelligence-led security operations would be deployed around polling units and collation centres in collaboration with the police and the Armed Forces.

Representing the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone XI Headquarters, Osogbo, Akinyele Fasuba, assured voters that adequate security arrangements were being made before, during and after the election.

Fasuba said the police would maintain neutrality and drew comparisons with the security arrangements deployed during the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State.

“The IGP said people should not entertain any fear. Policemen have started arriving in Osun State from all over Nigeria,” he said.

Fasuba added that the police would not take sides with any political party and would focus on protecting lives, property and the integrity of the electoral process.

Governor Adeleke, however, used the occasion to raise concerns about alleged harassment of members of his party by the police.

The governor called for impartial policing and urged security agencies to uphold the same professional standards he said had been demonstrated by other agencies involved in the electoral process.

“We seek free and fair polls where people’s will should be supreme. Our people will severely resist rigging in all forms,” Adeleke said.

He called for “impartial policing, a fair and just electoral commission and supremacy of voters’ will at the polls”.

The governor’s remarks came amid heightened political tensions in Osun, where rival parties have intensified campaigns ahead of the August 15 contest.

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, also appealed to political actors to reject violence and place the interests of the state above partisan considerations.

“Osun State is greater than the interests of any individual or political party,” the monarch said.

The signing of the Osun poll peace accord offers a symbolic commitment to a peaceful election, but the effectiveness of the agreement will ultimately depend on how political parties, candidates, supporters, security agencies and electoral officials conduct themselves in the final days of campaigning and on election day.

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With more than 2.3 million registered voters eligible to participate, the focus now turns to ensuring that the state’s democratic process is protected from intimidation, violence and manipulation, allowing voters to determine their next governor through a credible and peaceful ballot.