By Aliyu Oyewole
Preparations for the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election have entered their final phase, with sensitive election materials already secured in the state, more than 30,000 National Youth Service Corps members available for ad-hoc duties and 25,310 security personnel deployed across the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission confirmed that sensitive materials, including ballot papers and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, had arrived in Osun and were being kept at the Central Bank of Nigeria for security reasons.
INEC’s Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, disclosed this while providing an update on preparations for Saturday’s election.
According to him, the commission would draw its ad-hoc personnel from a pool of more than 30,000 NYSC members, although he did not disclose the exact number that would eventually be deployed.
“For number of ad-hoc staff, INEC will be pulling from a pool of over 30,000 NYSC members that we’re working with for the election,” Oketola said.
The commission said it had 2,339,233 registered voters in Osun State, although it could not immediately provide the latest figure for voters who had collected their Permanent Voter Cards following the extension of the PVC collection exercise.
Sensitive materials secured
INEC said the sensitive materials were already in Osun but declined to disclose when they arrived, citing security concerns.
Oketola said the ballot papers and other sensitive materials would be moved from the CBN to local government offices on Friday before being taken to Registration Area Centres ahead of Election Day.
He explained that the movement would involve security agencies, electoral officers and other personnel to ensure that the materials reached polling locations in time for voting.
The commission is also deploying generators, water tanks, vehicles and other non-sensitive materials as part of its logistics arrangements.
INEC’s Osun State Public Relations Officer, Musa Olurode, said the commission was fully prepared for Saturday’s election.
He said 12 of the 13 activities contained in the commission’s election timetable had been completed, with Election Day being the final activity.
25,310 security personnel deployed
Security agencies have also intensified preparations, with 25,310 personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission deployed across Osun.
The deployment comprises 15,000 police officers, 10,210 NSCDC personnel and about 100 EFCC operatives.
The NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Abubakar Audi, ordered the deployment of 10,000 personnel from neighbouring state commands to reinforce existing security arrangements in Osun.
The personnel are being drawn from Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Kogi, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory, with about 1,000 personnel from each command.
The NSCDC said its personnel would cover the state’s 30 local government areas, polling units, electoral officials, observers, journalists and residents.
Specialised units, including intelligence, tactical, female, K9 and strike teams, have also been deployed to support intelligence gathering, crime prevention and crowd control.
The Nigeria Police Force had earlier announced the deployment of 15,000 personnel, while the EFCC said about 100 officers would be deployed to prevent vote buying and other forms of electoral inducement.
Soldiers take over INEC headquarters
In a further escalation of security preparations, armed military personnel have taken up duties at the Osun State headquarters of INEC in Osogbo.
Reports indicate that about three Armoured Personnel Carriers were also deployed around the commission’s headquarters.
The military presence came after anti-riot mobile policemen and NSCDC operatives had previously been responsible for security at the facility.
A security source said soldiers arrived at the facility on Sunday and increased their presence on Monday, while other security agencies remained deployed around the area.
IPAC calls for restraint
Meanwhile, the Inter-Party Advisory Council has appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to reduce political tension ahead of Saturday’s election.
IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, urged political actors to avoid inflammatory statements, threats and actions capable of disrupting the peace in Osun.
He also called on INEC to conduct the election professionally, independently and transparently while ensuring equal treatment of all candidates and parties.
Dantalle urged security agencies to operate within their constitutional mandates and protect voters, candidates, party agents, electoral officials and election materials without discrimination.
He also condemned vote buying and electoral violence and urged political actors to pursue grievances through lawful channels.
With the sensitive materials secured, security personnel deployed and election officials preparing for final logistics, attention now shifts to Saturday’s governorship poll, where 14 political parties are expected to participate.
