Osun Political Tension Becoming Unbearable, Ooni Tells INEC

With barely three weeks to the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, has expressed concern over rising political tension in the state, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free, fair and credible election capable of calming frayed nerves.

The monarch spoke on Tuesday in Ile-Ife while receiving the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, and members of the commission’s management team during a courtesy visit to the palace ahead of the off-cycle governorship poll.

Addressing the electoral umpire in the presence of traditional rulers from across the state, the Ooni said the political atmosphere had become increasingly tense and appealed to INEC to act impartially to restore public confidence.

“There is tension in Osun State right now. The political tension is getting unbearable for us. It is really, really worrisome,” the monarch said.

He explained that the state’s traditional rulers had spent several hours deliberating on the political situation and resolved that they could not remain silent because the peace and stability of Osun transcended partisan interests.

According to him, traditional rulers have a responsibility to speak the truth to politicians irrespective of party affiliation and ensure that governance remains focused on the welfare of the people.

“We do not want to rock the boat. We want elections to come very freely, very fairly and very justly. Please, you are the umpire to douse the tension and make sure everything is right,” he told the INEC chairman.

The Ooni urged political actors to place the state’s interest above personal ambition, warning that politicians often reconcile after elections while ordinary citizens bear the consequences of violence and division.

“Let people come out and vote freely. Do not let anybody interfere in anything. The people should decide what they want,” he added.

The monarch also commended President Bola Tinubu for, in his view, allowing the electoral commission to operate independently.

Earlier, Amupitan formally notified the royal father that the Osun governorship election would hold on August 15, describing it as a critical election that would serve as a pointer to Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.

He said the visit formed part of the commission’s stakeholder engagement aimed at rebuilding public trust in the electoral process.

“As the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, I have come to formally inform Your Majesty that the Osun State governorship election will take place on August 15, 2026,” he said.

The INEC chairman also announced that the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections would hold on January 16, while governorship and state assembly elections in other states were fixed for February 6, 2027.

Describing Osun as one of Nigeria’s most politically conscious states, Amupitan said the forthcoming governorship election was the most significant off-cycle poll before the general election.

“We look at the Osun election as a mirror through which we can see the general election coming next year. It is a real election, but also very important to our preparations,” he said.

Amupitan acknowledged concerns over the security situation in the state and appealed to traditional rulers to prevail on political parties and their supporters to shun violence.

He stressed that no political contest was worth the loss of human life, urging all stakeholders to ensure that campaigns remained issue-based rather than descending into hostility.

The INEC chairman also cautioned against the spread of misinformation and disinformation, warning that advances in artificial intelligence could be exploited to circulate fake election-related content capable of inciting violence.

He assured the royal fathers that the commission would deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) across the state’s 3,763 polling units to guarantee transparent voter accreditation and credible voting.

According to him, Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters spread across 332 registration areas and 30 local government areas.

The visit came as political campaigns intensify across the state ahead of the August 15 governorship election, which has attracted nationwide attention as the last major electoral contest before the 2027 general elections.