Osun 2026: Governorship candidates sign peace pact, INEC Chairman warns troublemakers

By Isa Isawade

Candidates of political parties contesting in the August 15, 2026 Osun governorship election on Thursday in Osogbo signed a peace pact to ensure that Osun experiences a peaceful, free and fair poll as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, asked troublemakers to stay away.

The peace accord meeting was organised by the Hassan Kuka led peace advocating organisation in conjunction with INEC to ensure a peaceful election in Osun.

The political parties participating in the election and their candidates at the important meeting pledged to maintain peace conduct and signed the peace agreement.

At the event, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, declared that since the Biometric verification via the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) remains the sole statutory mechanism for accreditation, there would be no manual accreditation.

Regarding the security incidents in Okuku (Odo-Otin LGA) and Ife Central involving the theft of uncollected PVCs,  Amupitan reassured the public that stolen PVCs are functionally inert.

“Without live biometric verification on the BVAS, a stolen card cannot accredit anyone. Serial numbers of all stolen cards may be blacklisted, law enforcement is closing in on the perpetrators, and affected voters are being issued replacement cards or authorised digital verification PVC download,” the Chairman said.

He also informed that a total of 4,427 BVAS devices—including a 15% operational reserve (664 backup units) managed by RACTECH teams—have been customized for Osun State and that all polling unit result sheets (Form EC8A) would be scanned and uploaded directly to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) as soon as voting closes.

He said that the Commission was deeply concerned by several reports of violence and threats. “We recognise that insecurity is a direct assault on the sanctity of the ballot, and it is a menace we are determined to overcome. As Chairman, it weighs heavily on me that the environment for this election must be one of peace, not intimidation. Let me be clear: we will not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force.

“Consequently, INEC has recalibrated its security strategy, moving from reactive monitoring to proactive prevention. To combat this menace, we have activated a robust security synergy through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).

“We are not just monitoring threats; we are proactively deploying intelligence-led security measures to every polling unit and collation center. We are working closely with the Police and the Armed Forces to ensure that our staff, our materials, and most importantly, every single voter, are shielded from harm. We will meet any attempt to disrupt this election with the full, unyielding weight of the law,” Amupitan vowed.