More than 2.3 million registered voters across Osun State will go to the polls on Saturday, August 15, to elect the governor who will lead the state from 2026 to 2030.
The election will take place across the state’s 30 Local Government Areas, 332 wards and 3,763 polling units, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Voting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. and close at 2:30 p.m.
The election will be the seventh governorship poll conducted in Osun since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999, following previous elections in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Unlike most states where governorship elections are held alongside the general election cycle, Osun’s poll is an off-cycle election.
The unusual electoral timetable is rooted in a landmark legal battle that followed the 2007 governorship election, when the judiciary eventually removed a sitting governor and installed his challenger after three years in office.
How Osun Became an Off-Cycle Election
Osun has witnessed intense political contests since its creation in 1991, with virtually every governorship election since the return of democracy becoming the subject of legal challenges.
The 2007 election produced the development that ultimately altered the state’s electoral timetable.
INEC had declared Olagunsoye Oyinlola of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) winner of the election.
However, after about three years of legal battles, the Court of Appeal nullified Oyinlola’s election and declared Rauf Aregbesola of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) the rightful winner.
Aregbesola immediately assumed office.
Although Oyinlola had spent about three years in office, Aregbesola’s tenure was counted from the day he took office following the court judgment.
The development shifted Osun’s governorship election cycle away from that of most other states.
The winner of Saturday’s election will therefore serve a four-year term from 2026 to 2030.
Adeleke Seeks Second Term
The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, is seeking a second term in office.
Adeleke won the 2022 governorship election on the platform of the PDP, defeating the then incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola.
He has since moved to the Accord Party and is seeking re-election under its platform.
Adeleke is campaigning on his record in office and has repeatedly highlighted what his administration describes as achievements in infrastructure, governance and other sectors of the state economy.
He faces two major challengers in Asiwaju Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Dr Najeem Folasayo Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The three candidates have strong political pedigrees and influential backers.
Oyebamiji, a former Osun Commissioner for Finance, is the APC candidate and enjoys the backing of the party’s national structure as well as former Governor Oyetola, who is now the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.
Salaam, a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly and former governor of the state, is running on the ADC platform and has received the backing of former Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
While 14 political parties are fielding candidates in the election, the contest is largely expected to be dominated by Adeleke, Oyebamiji and Salaam.
2.3 Million Voters, 5,130 BVAS Machines
INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, said 2,339,233 eligible voters are expected to participate in the election.
The voters will cast their ballots across 3,763 polling units and 332 wards in the state’s 30 Local Government Areas.
INEC has also increased the number of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines deployed for the election from 4,427 to 5,130.
The commission also doubled its backup BVAS devices from 664 to 1,328 to facilitate quick replacement in the event of equipment failure.
The move is aimed at reducing delays and ensuring a smooth accreditation process at polling units.
INEC has also activated its Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) mechanism to identify and monitor potential flashpoints across the state.
According to the commission, it has engaged traditional rulers and transport unions as part of efforts to ensure a peaceful and hitch-free election.
New Electoral Act to Shape Poll
Saturday’s election will also test some of the provisions of Nigeria’s new Electoral Act.
The Osun election is expected to be the third major election conducted by INEC since President Bola Tinubu assented to the new electoral legislation.
Among the provisions expected to affect the electoral process are changes to voter registration, electronic transmission of results and the nomination of candidates by political parties.
Under the new framework, the documents required for voter registration have been streamlined to include a birth certificate, Nigerian passport and National Identification Number (NIN).
Registered voters will also be able to download their voter cards from the INEC website.
The law further provides for electronic transmission of election results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
However, where network failure or other technical problems prevent electronic transmission, the physical result sheet, Form EC8A, will serve as the primary document for collation and declaration of results.
The new law also provides for direct primaries and consensus as methods through which political parties can nominate their candidates, replacing indirect primaries.
Another provision requires the government to release funds meant for INEC at least six months before a general election, reducing the previous 12-month requirement.
Political parties are also required to submit their candidates’ names to INEC 120 days before election day, instead of the previous 180-day deadline.
INEC is expected to publish the final list of candidates 60 days before the election, compared with the previous 150-day requirement.
Security Tightened Ahead of Poll
Security has also been stepped up across Osun ahead of the election.
The new Commissioner of Police deployed to oversee security during the election, Samuel Etaifo, has arrived in the state and commenced duties ahead of Saturday’s poll.
The police have promised adequate security measures to protect voters, electoral officials and other stakeholders and to prevent violence before, during and after the election.
Security agencies are expected to maintain a strong presence around polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations across the state.
Seven Elections, Ten Administrators
Since Osun State was created in 1991, 10 individuals have served as governor or military administrator.
They are Leo Segun Ajiborisha, Isiaka Adeleke, Anthony Udofia, Anthony Obi, Theophilus Bamigboye, Bisi Akande, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Rauf Aregbesola, Gboyega Oyetola and the incumbent, Ademola Adeleke.
Saturday’s election will add another chapter to the state’s politically charged electoral history.
For Adeleke, the poll represents an opportunity to secure a second term and defend his administration’s record.
For Oyebamiji and the APC, it is a chance to return the party to power in the state after losing the 2022 election.
For Salaam and the ADC, the election offers an opportunity to disrupt the two-party contest and emerge as the alternative choice for Osun voters.
With more than 2.3 million registered voters, 14 political parties on the ballot, heightened security and new electoral rules in operation, all eyes are now on Osun as voters prepare to decide who will govern the state for the next four years.
