Members of the Accord party and the opposition All Progressives Congress in Osun State exchanged accusations during a forum for the governorship election. The forum was organized by the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Joash Amupitan, in Osogbo on Wednesday.
During the event, Accord members booed the Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan, while he delivered his speech.
In his speech, CP Gotan urged political figures, their supporters, and all involved to act peacefully. He called for the rejection of violence and the use of legal means to settle disputes.
Kehinde Ayantunji, representing the APC, criticized Accord members for the booing incident. He asked the INEC to take note of the disruption.
Ayantunji stated, “You have seen the way they disrupted the process and did not allow us to really enjoy the civic engagement with the INEC.
He appealed to the INEC chairman to ensure proper security arrangements for a free, fair, and credible election.
Ayantunji also urged INEC to monitor Ede closely and ensure that voting did not go late into the night to avoid manipulation.
“We raised an alarm yesterday that Accord has sponsored hoodlums to destabilise this process. And what happened before the INEC chairman was a validation of our earlier alarms. It indicated that the APC is a peaceful party, while Accord is a violent party.
“Since 1999, we have never experienced where people vote till 1 am. But, in 2022, we experienced it. This is even though, by the present arrangements of INEC, it is practically impossible to have an election till even 5 pm, no matter the number, because INEC has partitioned the unit to accommodate lesser numbers,” Ayantunji said.
He continued, “What has INEC put in place to ensure that some people are not allowed to vote beyond normal hours stipulated by the Electoral Act and by the INEC guidelines?
“This is because what we experienced in Ede during the 2022 election is contrary to INEC guidelines and the Electoral Act. APC is committed to free, fair and credible elections.”
Bamidele Salam, speaking for the Governor Ademola Adeleke Campaign Council, raised concerns about election day logistics. He said that the movement of election materials should not involve drivers affiliated with the Kazeem Oyewale-led faction of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the state.
Salam accused Oyewale of being an APC member and said he should not be involved in moving election materials. He suggested that INEC should work with NURTW members led by Nurudeen Alowonle or use other transport unions like the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria.
Salam stated, “Our party notes that the Electoral Act 2026 has made provision for electronic transmission of results by presiding officers at every polling unit. Our party demands that this provision be strictly complied with by officials of INEC in all polling units.
“This is the only way to enhance transparency and gain the confidence of men and women who have spent hours casting their vote on election day.
“This will also enable observers and the general public to view the IReV portal as the process continues to the various collation centres and stages.
“We have credible information that hundreds of other leaders, including our Director-General and some of us in the campaign council, have been marked out for arrest and harassment as a weapon of demoralising our supporters in various Local governments.”
INEC Chairman Amupitan responded by saying the commission has no preferred candidate. He said they want an election that reflects the lawful choice of the people.
He assured stakeholders that the commission was ready to deliver an election that meets the standards of the Electoral Act 2026 and the published guidelines.
Regarding the ongoing PVC collection, he said the commission has extended the exercise at Registration Areas to Friday, July 31, to allow more eligible voters to collect their PVCs.
Amupitan stated that 322,822 PVCs, which is 62 percent of those available, have been collected. He also said that 2,339,233 registered voters are eligible to vote across the state’s 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas, and 3,763 polling units, with 14 political parties contesting.
On election day, voting will start at 8:30 am, and Registration Area Centres will open from noon on August 14. This will allow personnel, election materials, and security to be deployed.
He warned that electoral officers whose local governments do not start accreditation by 8:30 am will be held responsible.
Amupitan said, “Biometric verification (fingerprint or facial matching via BVAS) remains the sole statutory mechanism for accreditation.
“There will be no manual accreditation. All polling unit result sheets (Form EC8A) will be scanned and uploaded directly from the polling unit to the IReV portal, guaranteeing public transparency from the moment voting closes.
“As we approach the Osun polls, our priority is to build and sustain the ultimate trust of the electorate. Our Bimodal Voter Accreditation System is the heartbeat of our elections; therefore, we are subjecting our systems to a rigorous field test to fortify the sanctity of the ballot during the election.
“Therefore, on Saturday, 1st August 2026, we will be conducting a Mock Accreditation across 12 selected local government areas in the state, four per senatorial zone.
“The selected LGAs are: Osogbo, Olorunda, Ifelodun, Boripe, Ilesa West, Ilesa East, Oriade, Obokun, Egbedore, Ede North, Ede South and Ejigbo.”
He also mentioned that the commission, along with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, had identified local threats and planned security measures, especially in parts of Atakumosa East and West, Boripe, Ede North and South, Ife Central, Ifedayo, Ila, Osogbo, Ifelodun, and Oriade Local Government Areas.
According to him, these areas will have special security deployments, and security forces have been instructed to stop thuggery and any attempts to disrupt the election while remaining neutral.
Amupitan addressed a recent attack in Okuku where three batches of uncollected PVCs were stolen. He noted that a similar incident occurred in Ife Central, where some individuals on a motorcycle stole PVCs and fled.
“I wish to reassure the electorate and issue a stern warning to those who stole PVCs that they will face consequences under our system.
“Without the live biometric verification of the legitimate cardholder on the BVAS, a stolen card cannot be used to vote.
“The serial numbers of the stolen cards can be blacklisted on our central server, and law enforcement will pursue the thieves. “I have instructed the ICT Director to ensure that the stolen PVCs are reprinted and that affected voters can use a downloadable PVC, which will be available during this election,” he said.
Earlier, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, said that the commission had completed 11 out of 13 activities in the election timetable, with only the end of campaigns and the election left to complete.
She added that all sensitive election materials had arrived in the state and were being secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria in Osogbo, while non-sensitive materials had already been distributed to all local government areas.
Drop your comment
No comments yet — be the first to drop the gist 👇