The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, have expressed concern over the rising political tension in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 governorship election, calling on political actors to eschew violence and allow the electorate to make their free choice at the polls.
The appeals were made on Tuesday when the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan paid a courtesy visit to the Ooni’s palace in Ile-Ife, as part of the commission’s five-day readiness assessment tour ahead of the election.
He told the monarch and traditional rulers that the Osun governorship election was a big off-season election and would be a litmus test of the commission’s readiness for the 2027 general election.
He officially declared that the Osun governorship election will take place on 15th of August, 2026, while the 2027 general election will hold on 16th of January, 2027 and governorship and state assembly elections in other states planned for 6th of February, 2027.
The INEC chairman called on traditional rulers to leverage their influence in promoting peace and deterring politicians and their supporters from violence.
No innocent blood is worth an election for governorship. “No one should be killed, threatened or embarrassed because of an election,” Amupitan stated.
He stated that Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters over 3,763 voting units, 332 registration areas and 30 local government areas, describing the exercise as one of the commission’s greatest electoral tasks ahead of the national polls.
Amupitan told the villagers that Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be used for the accreditation of voters, adding that only accredited voters will be counted.
He also issued a warning about vote-buying and misinformation and disinformation, cautioning that improvements in artificial intelligence may be harnessed to disseminate phoney election results that could stir unrest.
Today it is easy to employ Artificial Intelligence to show me announcing outcomes falsely that never existed. We urge Nigerians to fact check and reject fake news that is capable of generating bloodshed’, he said.
One of his aims since assuming office was to rebuild public confidence in the electoral process through free, fair, transparent and credible elections, the INEC chairman stated.
Reacting, the Ooni of Ife lauded Amupitan’s leadership but voiced his grave concern over the prevailing political situation in the state.
The traditional rulers, the monarch said, deliberated for hours on the rising political tension before the arrival of the INEC chairman.
“There is tension in Osun State now. Politics is too stressful for us. We don’t want violence. “We want free, fair and just elections,” the Ooni added.
He asked INEC to be neutral in the conduct of the elections, saying the body had a responsibility to decrease tension and engender public confidence.
The monarch further said that President Bola Tinubu had provided the electoral body with the independence and resources to execute its constitutional role without interference.
We believe in you. Everyone is watching you. Let the people chose who they want freely. “Do not allow anybody to interfere with the process,” he ordered the INEC chairman.
The Ooni said the Osun governorship election was a very important exercise that would determine the confidence of the public ahead of the 2027 federal elections.
Amupitan’s visit to the palace is the first in a series of contacts with political parties, security services, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to ensure a peaceful and credible governorship election in the state.
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