Fresh fears of further political violence have gripped Osun State six days before the August 15 governorship election, as the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord Party claim a combined 18 of their members have been killed in the build-up to the contest.
The two parties continue to trade accusations over responsibility for the deaths while stakeholders remain divided over the deployment of 15,000 policemen. Flashpoints identified include Osogbo, Ede, Ife, Oriade, Ijebu-Ijesha, Ilobu and Ikire.
The APC campaign council said at least 10 of its members had been killed in places including Ilesa, Iwo, Osogbo and Ijebu-Jesa. A council member, Kehinde Ayantunji, described the loss of life as unfortunate and stressed that no election is worth a human life. He said the party is less concerned with the number of security personnel than with their professionalism, equipment and capacity to protect votes and ensure a free, fair and credible process across the state’s 3,761 polling units.
Accord Party’s media director, Oladele Bamiji, said the party had lost about eight supporters to violence in Oriade, Ijebu-Jesha, Ilobu, Ikire and Osogbo. He described the killings as disheartening and questioned whether 15,000 policemen would be adequate given the number of polling units, while noting that other security agencies would complement the police presence.
Civil society groups are split on the heavy security deployment. The Osun Masterminds coalition called it militarisation that could intimidate voters, create illegal checkpoints and leave neighbouring states vulnerable. Its spokesperson, Ayo Ologunde, argued elections should not be treated like war and questioned the cost of allowances when funds could support infrastructure.
In contrast, Dialogue 365 convener Saka Waheed backed the deployment as necessary to prevent further killings and protect the electoral process. Former House of Assembly information committee chairman Olatunbosun Oyintiloye said such deployments are routine and may be driven by intelligence, though he urged security agencies to act against extrajudicial killings and encourage voter turnout.
Independent tracking by Kimpact Development Initiative recorded 44 election-related violent incidents and 13 fatalities in Osun between October 2025 and June 2026. Earlier incidents cited include the May killing of Accord member Kolade Eluyera in Irewole, the June 3 shooting of Osogbo Accord chairman Asimiyu Ajibola, and the death of supporter Ajayi Rogba in Esa-Oke, alongside clashes and attacks on campaign convoys in Ede and Osogbo.
With voting days away, attention has turned to how security agencies will manage the tense environment and whether parties and supporters will exercise restraint to avert further violence before, during and after the election.
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