Heavy Security, Long Queues, Massive Turnout Mark Osun Governorship Election in Ede
The Osun State governorship election commenced peacefully on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with heavy security presence and long queues of voters marking the exercise across Ede North and Ede South Local Government Areas. Voters were seen as early as 6:45 a.m. at several polling units, checking their names on pasted voter registers ahead of the scheduled commencement of accreditation and voting at 8:30 a.m., and at Ward 4, Unit 6, Ede North, INEC ad hoc staff arrived early and were on the ground to receive voters, who expressed satisfaction with the early arrival of electoral officials. Reports from polling units across Ede, including Sagba Agbogunde Ward 2, Unit 9; Adogbe Ward 3, Unit 5; CAC Ward 4, Unit 2; Orita Alajue Ward 5, Unit 1; Obalaoye Ward 2, Unit 5; and Agip Ward 2, Unit 3, indicated orderly queuing and peaceful conduct, and at EC 30 A in Ede North, a massive turnout was recorded, with eligible voters arriving in significant numbers and forming long queues while waiting for accreditation and the opportunity to cast their ballots.
A significant security presence was observed across Ede North and Ede South, with checkpoints mounted in line with the restriction on vehicular movement during the election. Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were stationed at strategic points, enforcing the movement restriction and maintaining security around voting centres, and the Nigeria Police Force had earlier announced a restriction of movement across the state from midnight on Friday, August 14, to 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, as part of measures to ensure a peaceful and orderly election. The police also reiterated the ban on the participation of the Amotekun Corps and other non-state security groups during the election, stating that only constitutionally recognised agencies are authorised to perform security functions.
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Domestic election observers were also present at polling units, monitoring the process from about 7:00 a.m., and Mr Omotola Akinropo of Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) said the exercise had been peaceful in the communities visited, commending security personnel for their coordination and ensuring that there is no breakdown of law and order. Another observer, Mrs Bisi Adebimpe of the Centre for Democracy and Good Governance, Abuja, also described the process as peaceful and urged voters to comply with INEC guidelines, encouraging eligible voters to turn out and exercise their franchise.
Two voters, Mr Kazeem Taofeek and Mrs Grace Abimbola, who voted at Orita Alajue Ward 5 Unit 1 and Sagba Agbogunde Ward 2 Unit 7 respectively, expressed hope that the peaceful atmosphere would continue through the end of voting and the announcement of results. The governorship election is being contested by 15 candidates, with the main contenders being Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Najeem Salam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while over 2.3 million registered voters are expected to participate across the state’s 30 local government areas.