Seventeen days before the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election, Governor Ademola Adeleke, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and 12 other candidates have signed a peace accord ahead of the poll.
Other candidates represented at the event included the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) standard-bearer, Adewale Adebayo, and the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate, Olajide Esan.
Representatives of the 14 political parties contesting the election attended the ceremony, with candidates who were absent represented by party officials.
Oyebamiji was represented by his running mate, Kayode Adereti, and other APC leaders, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salam, was represented by party officials, including the state chairman.
The accord was organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The signing was witnessed by the NPC convener, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah; the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, represented by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone XI, Fasuba Olabode; and the INEC Chairman, Prof. Ojo Amupitan.
Traditional rulers, led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, also attended the ceremony.
In his opening remarks, a former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, urged political actors and other stakeholders to take responsibility for ensuring a free, fair and credible election.
“There is a need to embrace a peaceful poll. This election will go. I urge you to respect all the dictates of the Peace Accord you are all signing today,” Onaiyekan said.
Police Begin Election Deployment
The IGP’s representative assured residents that the police would act professionally before, during and after the election.
Olabode disclosed that officers assigned to election duties had begun arriving in the state.
“Don’t entertain any fear. Police have started entering the state for election duty. Only the recognised security agencies will be allowed for election duties. All things will go well before, during, and after the election,” he said.
Amupitan commended the National Peace Committee (NPC) for the initiative, saying the accord would support INEC’s efforts to conduct a peaceful election.
He said the commission was working with anti-graft agencies and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to combat vote-buying.
Amupitan further stated, “We are attacking vote-buying head-on. In direct synergy with the EFCC and ICPC and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, plainclothes financial intelligence officers will saturate polling unit perimeters.
“Anyone attempting to buy or sell votes, whether through physical cash or digital transfers, will be arrested and prosecuted under the Electoral Act 2026.”
Ooni Warns Against Violence
The Ooni of Ife appealed to residents not to allow politicians to use them to perpetrate violence or electoral malpractice.
Ogunwusi said, “Power belongs to the people; power is in the hands of all of us. So I want to appeal to each and every one of us. We do not want violence.”
The monarch expressed concern over rising political tension in the state and warned residents against becoming victims of political rivalries.
He stated, “The political tension is too much, and you know our political gladiators.
“I always tell everybody there is no permanent friend among them; we are the ones who will suffer. Later on, they will go and align and leave all of us behind.
“They are always aligning, agreeing, and disagreeing. But what is critical is that Osun is bigger than all of us.”
