Candidates representing the 14 political parties contesting the August 15 governorship election in Osun State have signed a peace accord, pledging to conduct peaceful campaigns and support a violence-free electoral process.
At the signing ceremony held on Thursday, Governor Ademola Adeleke, the governorship candidate of the Accord party, personally endorsed the agreement, while representatives signed on behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dr Najeem Salaam.
The peace accord, facilitated by the National Peace Committee, is aimed at preventing election-related violence and encouraging political actors to uphold democratic values before, during and after the governorship election.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the committee’s chairman and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), John Cardinal Onaiyekan described the accord as a critical step toward strengthening public confidence in the electoral process.
He said the committee’s efforts were focused on promoting dialogue, building trust among political stakeholders and ensuring that political competition does not degenerate into violence.
According to Onaiyekan, democracy can only thrive when political actors embrace peace, exercise restraint and respect the rule of law.
He urged all political parties to honour both the spirit and the letter of the agreement, stressing that the signing should not be viewed as a ceremonial exercise but as a binding commitment to peaceful conduct.
He also highlighted the crucial roles of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies in guaranteeing a credible election, expressing confidence that the electoral umpire would discharge its responsibilities impartially and in accordance with the law.
Speaking at the event, INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan said the signing of the accord demonstrated the candidates’ commitment to non-violence, mutual respect and democratic principles.
He warned that the commission would not tolerate any attempt to undermine the election through violence, intimidation or vote buying, stressing that offenders would face the full weight of the law.
“We will not allow the democratic will of the people to be subverted by fear or force. Insecurity is a direct assault on the sanctity of the ballot,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chairman disclosed that the commission had completed 11 of the 13 activities outlined in its election timetable, leaving only the end of campaigns on August 13 and the election itself on August 15.
He said INEC would deploy election personnel across Osun’s 30 local government areas, the Modakeke Area Office, 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units.
Amupitan revealed that the state’s certified voters’ register contains 2,339,233 eligible voters following the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) exercise.
He added that 322,822 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), representing about 62 per cent of newly registered voters, had already been collected.
To improve voter participation, he announced that PVC collection at all local government offices had been extended until Friday, July 31.
Expressing concern over reports of violence and threats in some parts of the state, the INEC chairman said the commission had adopted proactive security measures through the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
He explained that intelligence-driven security operations would be deployed to polling units and collation centres in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force and the Armed Forces to ensure a peaceful election.
Also addressing stakeholders, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Zone XI, Akinyele Fasuba, who represented the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, assured residents that adequate security arrangements had been put in place.
Fasuba said police personnel from across the country had already begun arriving in Osun State and pledged that the force would remain neutral throughout the electoral process.
He noted that the security strategy successfully adopted during the recent Ekiti governorship election would also be implemented in Osun to guarantee a free, fair and credible poll.
Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke alleged that members of his party had been subjected to harassment by the police and appealed to security agencies to remain impartial during the election.
He called on the police to emulate the professionalism displayed by other security agencies and urged INEC to conduct a transparent election that reflects the wishes of the electorate.
According to the governor, the credibility of the election depends on impartial policing, a fair electoral process and the protection of the people’s mandate at the ballot box.
The peace accord signing was attended by political leaders, civil society organisations, security chiefs and other stakeholders committed to ensuring a peaceful governorship election in Osun State.
