Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, has appealed to traditional rulers in Osun State to use their influence to ensure a peaceful, credible and violence-free governorship election scheduled for August 15, 2026. Amupitan made the appeal on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, during a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, at his palace in Ile-Ife, where he also sought royal prayers and blessings ahead of what he described as one of Nigeria's most consequential off-cycle elections.
The INEC chairman, who was accompanied by all 12 National Commissioners representing the six geopolitical zones and the Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, said the visit was to formally notify the Ooni of the forthcoming election and to tap into the wisdom of traditional institutions. "The visit is to formally announce to you that the Osun governorship election is coming up on Saturday, August 15, 2026," Amupitan said, adding that Osun occupies a special place in Nigeria's democratic journey.
Describing the Osun governorship poll as "the most consequential off-cycle election in Nigeria," Amupitan said it would serve as a mirror for the conduct of the 2027 general elections. "After this election, we move straight into the general election. So we look at Osun as a mirror through which we can see the general election coming up next year," he told the monarch and other traditional rulers present. The INEC chairman expressed concern over the political atmosphere and security situation in the state in recent weeks, urging traditional rulers to appeal to politicians and political parties to conduct issue-based campaigns devoid of rancour and violence.
Amupitan delivered a stern warning to political actors, stating emphatically: "The blood of innocent people is not worth the governorship election. So nobody should be killed, or should be ill-treated, or should be harassed". He also called for proper verification of information to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation, warning that false information could fuel unnecessary violence before, during and after the election. The INEC chairman reaffirmed the commission's dedication to rebuilding public trust by delivering a credible, free and transparent electoral process. "We have decided that one of the ways we can build trust is to ensure that elections must be credible, free, fair and transparent," he stated.
Amupitan also announced that the 2027 general elections would commence with the presidential and National Assembly polls on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections would be held on February 6, 2027. He assured that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would be deployed to ensure that every vote counts. "BVAS is our game-changer. All those issues of ballot paper stealing won't affect the poll. If you are not accredited by BVAS, that vote will not be counted. So I am assuring Osun electorates that their votes will count," he said.
In his response, the Ooni of Ife told the INEC chairman that the political tension building up ahead of the election has become unbearable and worrisome. "The political tension in Osun is getting unbearable. It is really, really worrisome. We do not want to rock the boat. We want elections to come very freely and very fairly and very justly. Please, please and please, you are the umpire, douse the tension," the monarch stated. The Ooni urged the electoral commission to maintain strict justice, fairness and transparency throughout the exercise. "You are the umpire to bring it down and make sure everything is right," he said, adding that traditional rulers in the state had deliberated extensively on the security climate and resolved to remain above partisan politics.
The monarch emphasised that Osun State is bigger than any individual politician. "Both politicians from these two sides, the opposition and the one in office right now, we should embrace them and tell them the truth all the time. It is very important for them to focus on the well-being and also do what is just, fair and right," Oba Ogunwusi said. He thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for empowering INEC to operate independently and appealed to the electoral body to "do what is right, just and fair," stressing that the interest of traditional rulers is beyond politics and centred on the peace, stability and progress of Osun State. "The ball is in your hand. We want you to do what is right. We want you to do what is just. We want you to do what is fair. We know all those politicians just align because of their interest. Politics is all about interest. But the interest for all traditional rulers is beyond politics," the Ooni declared. "Enough. We do not want that political tension to continue. We do not want any political tension to continue in Osun. Let people come out, vote freely," he added.
The visit comes amid heightened political tension in Osun State ahead of the off-cycle governorship election. Security concerns have been rising, with a recent attack on a Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collection centre reported in the state. INEC has, however, assured that the attack will not derail the election. The commission has also scheduled a mock accreditation exercise for August 1, 2026, across 36 polling units in 12 local government areas to test the functionality of BVAS devices ahead of the main poll. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party (LP) were notably excluded from the final list of cleared parties for the election released by INEC in March 2026.
The engagement with the Ooni of Ife reflects INEC's broader strategy of leveraging traditional institutions to promote peace and electoral integrity, as the commission seeks to rebuild public trust and ensure that the Osun election serves as a credible precedent for the 2027 general elections. As Amupitan and the Ooni both emphasised, the stakes are high, and the eyes of the nation are on Osun State.
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