Adeleke, Oyebamiji, Salaam, others battle for Osun governorship

Osun State voters will go to the polls today to elect the next occupant of Bola Ige Government House as governor for the next four years.

A total of 15 parties are on the ballot for the off-cycle election, with the incumbent, Ademola Adeleke, whose first term ends in November, seeking a fresh mandate on the ticket of the Accord Party.

Two of the candidates- Adesina Adeyemi-Doro of APGA and Simon Adewale of APM – announced their withdrawal from the contest. While Mr Adeyemi-Doro declared support for the APC candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, Mr Adewale is backing Governor Adeleke. However, both the APM and the APGA will still be on the ballot for the election.

The other contenders for the governorship seat, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), are Najeem Salaam (ADC), Olanrewaju Farinloye (AA), Esan Olajide (AAC), Adeagbo Opawoye (ADP), Clement Adesuyi (APP), Masilo Adeleke (BP), Taofeek Adeleke (NNPP), Saliu Oyelami (PRP), Ogunsakin Olalekan (YPP), Adefemi Adesuyi (ZLP), and Francis Olugbenga (SDP), who was added to the list on Wednesday courtesy of a court judgement.

However, the election may be a three-way contest between Messrs Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam.

Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters, but 1,906,390 of them, representing 81.50 per cent, who collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), are eligible to participate in today’s poll. They will vote in the 3,763 Polling Units (PUs) spread across the 332 wards of the 30 local government areas in the South-west state.

The off-season governorship election is the second in the year and the last before the 2027 General Election. It will, therefore, serve as a litmus test for INEC, which has commenced preparations for the general election. It is also the third major poll, after those of the FCT Area Council and Ekiti governorship elections, to be conducted since the Electoral Act 2026, which contains new guidelines on election conduct, was signed by President Bola Tinubu in February.

If anything, the Osun poll will serve as a test of integrity for the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, who assumed office last year.

Mr Amupitan, a professor of law, says the commission is ready for the poll, which has been tainted by violence and killings in the last few months. Reports say over 70 incidents of violence in Osun with about 30 deaths have been recorded in the build-up to the poll. Besides, INEC says it identified 385 flashpoints across 13 LGAs in the state.

But during a recent visit to the state, the INEC chair said ballot, not bullet, will decide the winner of the poll. He assured that additional security personnel would be deployed to curb election-related violence.

Consequently, the police have deployed 15,000 of its personnel in Osun ahead of today’s election, while the NSCDC deployed 10,214 personnel and specialised tactical units to the state. Other security agencies have similarly dispatched their officers to the state.

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