Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Osun State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) became the epicentre of political tension on Tuesday as hundreds of residents, including market women, students, and civil society members, staged a peaceful protest over the alleged transfer of partisan electoral officials into the state. The demonstrators, organised by the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens (CCNC) and other civil society groups, marched from Ataoja Bridge to the INEC headquarters in Osogbo, wielding placards with inscriptions such as “INEC Osun people are watching your every move” and “INEC don’t cause war in Osun with your actions and inactions”. The protest occurred less than four months before the governorship election, scheduled for August 15, 2026, and directly challenged the redeployment of the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Mutiu Agboke, to Ondo State, a move the protesters described as suspicious and potentially aimed at compromising the poll’s credibility.
The protesters alleged that some INEC officials known to have partisan leanings have been transferred from neighbouring states, including Ondo and Lagos, into Osun. They argued that other states that recently conducted governorship elections did not witness such “indiscriminate transfers” of electoral personnel close to election dates, especially on the basis of partisan petitions. In a petition addressed to the new Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, the coalition warned against any attempt to give undue advantage to any candidate or political party through administrative actions, deployment of personnel, or distribution of electoral materials. “The credibility of elections is not merely a technical affair of logistics; it is the moral foundation upon which the legitimacy of government rests,” the petition read. The group also rejected what it called “technical rigging” and insisted that the transfer of officials from Ondo and Lagos must be halted.
The protest came amid rising political temperature in Osun State, where the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord party, is seeking re-election. The political landscape has been further charged by the recent defection of Adeleke’s nephew, Afrobeats superstar Davido, who was appointed as the Head of Youth Mobilisation for the governor’s campaign council. Tuesday’s protest, however, was not a partisan rally but a broad civic action. The Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens (CCNC) said it is not an adversary of INEC but a stakeholder in Nigeria’s democracy, pledging to serve as an early warning mechanism and civic observer committed to truth and peace.
In response to the protest, the new REC, Mrs Oluwatoyin Babalola, who assumed office following Agboke’s redeployment, addressed the crowd through senior officials, including the Head of Legal Department, Barrister Niyi Fayanju, and the Head of Voters’ Education and Publicity, Rufus Ariyo. Babalola assured the protesters that the commission is committed to conducting a free, fair, and conclusive election. “We understand your concerns and we assure you that every vote will count,” she stated. “The integrity of the electoral process remains our priority, and no individual change will affect our preparedness for the election.” She further clarified that the transfer of the former REC was a routine administrative process in line with civil service rules and not a plan to rig the election.
The Osun State House of Assembly had earlier kicked against Agboke’s redeployment, alleging foul play and warning that further deployments of key officials, including the Administrative Secretary and ICT personnel, might be planned. The Assembly noted that such actions were not taken in Ekiti State, whose election precedes Osun’s, and described the pattern as a deliberate attempt to influence the electoral process. “Let it be clearly stated that no amount of administrative changes or deployments of interested officials will override the will of the people of Osun State,” the Assembly warned. Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has dismissed the allegations linking the party to the transfers, describing them as baseless and fabricated. The APC argued that the opposition was merely attempting to create a narrative of pre-emptive rigging to discredit the eventual outcome.
The protest in Osogbo is part of a broader national conversation about electoral integrity as Nigeria approaches the 2027 general elections. Just two weeks earlier, prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark, and former Governor Peter Obi, had led a major protest at INEC’s national headquarters in Abuja over the commission’s recognition of the Mark-led ADC leadership. The Osun protest, while smaller in scale, carries significant weight because it involves ordinary citizens who are directly questioning the impartiality of the electoral machinery in a critical state election. The Osun governorship poll, scheduled for August 15, 2026, is seen as a major test of INEC’s capacity to conduct credible off-cycle elections under the new Electoral Act and a bellwether for the 2027 national polls.
As the protesters dispersed peacefully, the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens made it clear that they would be watching every move of the commission. “We say no to any technical rigging and partisan transfer of INEC officers from Ondo, Lagos or from any state for sinister motives,” their petition read. The coalition has also submitted a formal request to INEC to publish the names and states of origin of all electoral officers deployed for the Osun election to ensure transparency. For now, the commission has promised to resist intimidation and partisan pressure, but the residents have drawn a line in the sand: the credibility of the August election is non-negotiable. The next few months will determine whether these assurances translate into action or whether the fears of a compromised poll will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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