Vote buying, security, account freeze dominate Osun governorship election debate By Faith David

 

Ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, concerns over vote buying, election security and the political implications of the freezing of the state government’s bank accounts dominated discussions on Friday, with electoral authorities, security agencies, political parties and civil society organisations offering divergent perspectives on the issues.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) expressed concern over the growing threat of vote buying, warning that the practice could significantly undermine the credibility of the election if security agencies fail to decisively enforce the provisions of the law.

The warning came as the Civil Society Concerns on Election Security in Osun called on the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to remain neutral, professional and impartial before, during and after the election.

At the same time, reactions continued to trail President Bola Tinubu’s directive on Thursday ordering the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return to court and seek the vacation of the order freezing the bank accounts of the Osun State Government.

The presidential directive generated mixed reactions from political parties, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.

While the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Osun State and the opposition Accord Party welcomed the intervention as a demonstration of respect for democracy and the rule of law, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) cautioned that the move could undermine the operational independence of anti-corruption institutions.

The House of Representatives Minority Caucus, however, argued that the President’s directive was prompted by widespread public outrage rather than a commitment to the rule of law.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, assured Nigerians that comprehensive security arrangements had been put in place to ensure a peaceful, free, fair and credible governorship election.

Speaking on the commission’s preparedness for the election, a senior INEC official told THISDAY on condition of anonymity that the electoral body had completed virtually all critical preparations for the poll.

The official said the commission had deployed election materials, trained personnel and tested its electoral technology ahead of the August 15 exercise.

“As far as INEC is concerned, I can confidently say we are over 90 per cent prepared for the election,” the official said.

According to him, INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, recently led a comprehensive readiness assessment in Osun State.

The exercise involved six National Commissioners, directors, senior officials and technical personnel from the commission.

The assessment, which lasted about five days, involved a detailed review of the commission’s preparations across the state.

It also included a mock accreditation exercise designed to assess the effectiveness and readiness of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).

Despite the high level of preparedness, the official identified vote buying as one of INEC’s most serious concerns, particularly because of the tense political atmosphere in the state.

He stressed that the commission could not, on its own, guarantee a credible election, noting that the success of the exercise would depend significantly on the conduct of security agencies, political parties, candidates and their supporters.

“The political environment is quite tense,” he said, urging all stakeholders to exercise restraint and respect the rules governing the electoral process.

“Our biggest concern is vote buying, which we fear could be widespread.

”We want the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to remain professional, impartial and above board in enforcing the law.

“Vote buying is prohibited under the Electoral Act. It is a criminal offence and one of the greatest threats to the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

”Anyone arrested for the offence should face the full weight of the law,” he added.

Security in Osun also urged security agencies to demonstrate neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral process.

The group made the demand on Friday at a press conference held at the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters in Abuja.

Speaking on behalf of the organisation, its Executive Director, Samson Itodo, said public confidence in the election would depend largely on the conduct of security personnel before, during and after the poll.

“This is the last major election to be held ahead of the 2027 general election.

”Therefore, it has a lot of significance, and it’s a unique opportunity to inspire public trust, not just in the management of the election, but election security,” Itodo said.

He stressed that Nigerians would expect security institutions to demonstrate neutrality and professionalism, saying this was essential to building confidence in the electoral process.

“The public would want to see institutions demonstrate neutrality so they can have confidence in those institutions,” he added.

Itodo also expressed concern over the level of pre-election violence and political tension recorded in parts of Osun State, warning that failure to address the situation could further erode public trust.

He disclosed that findings from Yiaga Africa’s election observation and risk assessment had identified 13 of the state’s 30 local government areas as high-risk areas because of recurring violent incidents and heightened political tension.

Among the areas identified were Irewole, Osogbo, Boripe, Obokun, Ife North, Ife Central and parts of Ijesaland.

“Our comprehensive assessment and monitoring process shows that there have been about 34 known fatalities across incidents recorded between 2025 and June 2026,” Itodo said.

Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the freezing of the Osun State Government’s bank accounts continued to generate political reactions.

President Tinubu had on Thursday directed the EFCC to return to court and seek the vacation of the order freezing the accounts, a development that came shortly before the August 15 governorship election.

IPAC, in a statement issued on Friday by its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Odesola Oluseye Titus, commended the President’s intervention.

The council described the directive as a demonstration of respect for democratic principles and the rule of law, arguing that it would help strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

IPAC also praised the President’s position that anti-corruption agencies should carry out their statutory responsibilities independently and professionally, without fear, favour or political interference.

The council urged INEC, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to follow the same principle by performing their constitutional responsibilities impartially during the election.

It said the President’s directive should serve as a guide for all agencies involved in the electoral process, stressing that electoral officials and security personnel must maintain professionalism and neutrality to sustain public confidence.

IPAC also called on political actors to respect the rules of engagement and urged eligible voters to turn out in large numbers on election day, expressing confidence that every legitimate vote would count.

The opposition Accord Party also welcomed the President’s intervention but went further by demanding the immediate resignation of EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.

The party accused Olukoyede of approving what it described as the unconstitutional freezing of the Osun State Government’s bank accounts.

Speaking at a world press conference in Abuja, Accord National Chairman, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, commended President Tinubu for what he described as a timely intervention that prevented a potential constitutional crisis.

Mgbudem, however, accused the EFCC chairman of embarrassing the President, damaging Nigeria’s democratic image and bringing the anti-corruption agency into disrepute.

He argued that Olukoyede should resign voluntarily and, if he refused, urged President Tinubu to remove him in order to restore public confidence in the EFCC.

The party chairman also called for the immediate release of about 60 Accord members allegedly detained in Abuja, Osun and Nasarawa States.

According to him, their continued detention could further heighten political tension ahead of the election.

Mgbudem urged INEC to conduct a free, fair and credible election, describing the Osun governorship poll as an important test for Nigeria’s democracy ahead of the 2027 general election.

However, the Executive Director of CISLAC and Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, criticised the President’s intervention.

Rafsanjani warned that directing the EFCC to return to court to seek the lifting of the restriction could set a precedent capable of weakening the operational independence of anti-corruption institutions.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, he acknowledged the need to avoid unnecessary disruption of governance but argued that presidential intervention in specific enforcement actions could create concerns about political interference.

According to him, the EFCC derives its authority from the law and should therefore be allowed to investigate and prosecute alleged economic crimes professionally and independently.

He argued that where the commission makes an inappropriate or unlawful decision, the judiciary remains the appropriate avenue for redress rather than executive intervention.

Rafsanjani also stressed that the lifting of restrictions on the state government’s accounts should not bring an end to investigations into allegations of public fund diversion.

He maintained that anyone found culpable after a proper investigation should be prosecuted, irrespective of political affiliation.

As the election draws closer, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, assured Nigerians that the Nigeria Police Force had concluded comprehensive security arrangements for the August 15 poll.

Speaking while hosting civil society organisations in Abuja, Disu said the Police had no preferred candidate or political party and remained committed to ensuring that the lawful choice of the electorate prevailed.

He disclosed that adequate personnel and operational assets had been deployed across Osun State, while intelligence gathering and threat assessments had been intensified.

The Police, he said, was working closely with INEC, the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) and other relevant stakeholders to identify and address potential threats.

Disu warned that individuals involved in vote buying, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, thuggery and other electoral offences would be dealt with in accordance with the law, regardless of their political affiliation.

He also appealed to political parties, candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, stressing that elections should be contests of ideas rather than opportunities for violence and intimidation.

The IGP encouraged eligible voters to come out and exercise their constitutional rights without fear, assuring them that the Police would provide a secure environment throughout the electoral process.

The political atmosphere in Osun remained tense on Friday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) demanded an apology from Governor Ademola Adeleke over allegations that President Tinubu and the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, influenced the EFCC’s action against the state government.

The APC maintained that although President Tinubu objected to the timing of the freezing of the state government’s accounts, his directive did not amount to an exoneration of the Osun State Government from the allegations being investigated by the anti-graft agency.

The House of Representatives Minority Caucus also weighed in on the controversy, arguing that President Tinubu’s directive was a response to massive public outcry rather than a demonstration of respect for the rule of law.

In a statement issued on Friday, the Minority Leader, Hon. Fredrick Agbedi, and the caucus spokesman, Hon. Afam Ogene, said the development exposed what they described as “a government at war with itself.”
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The caucus questioned the apparent contradiction between the EFCC’s position on the freezing of the accounts and the President’s subsequent directive.

It recalled that EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, had stated on national television on Thursday that the freezing of the Osun accounts was carried out “without a valid court order.”

The caucus then questionytned why the President, later the same day, directed the commission to return to court to “vacate the order.”

“So, which is it? Was there a court order or not? Is the President not aware of what his own appointees are saying and doing?” the caucus asked.

It also questioned whether the President had lost control of what it described as officials and political associates who acted as though they were “lords over the people,” or whether the conflicting explanations were an attempt to conceal what it considered an illegality.

The lawmakers further accused senior presidential aides of initially circulating and defending the EFCC’s statement supporting the commission’s action.

The Minority Caucus described the August 5 EFCC action as the latest development in what it called a sustained campaign of intimidation against Osun by the APC-led Federal Government.

It also accused the Federal Government of withholding and seizing statutory allocations due to Osun State’s local governments, describing the action as economic strangulation designed to weaken governance at the grassroots ahead of the election.

The caucus further condemned the alleged arrest and detention of the Secretary to the Osun State Government, Teslim Igbalaiye, and others, describing the development as an attack on the institution of the state government.

Amid the political controversies, the World Bishops Council, Africa Chapter, and the Religious Engagement (Christianity) Committee working for Governor Adeleke’s re-election endorsed the governor for a second term.

The groups described Adeleke as “a man of destiny” and commended what they described as his efforts to promote peace and religious harmony in the state.

They urged voters to support the governor’s re-election bid and announced a seven-day fasting and prayer programme for peaceful conduct of the election and Adeleke’s victory.

In another development, the Imole Campaign Council dismissed an alleged oath-taking video circulating on social media and purportedly linked to Governor Adeleke.

The council described the video as a desperate smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by the APC.

It insisted that Adeleke neither authorised nor participated in any oath-taking exercise, maintaining that his campaign for a second term was based on his record in office and the support of the electorate rather than intimidation, superstition or any form of coercion.

With the election now days away, the competing concerns over vote buying, security neutrality, political violence, the EFCC controversy and the conduct of political actors have further heightened tensions in Osun State.

The August 15 poll is increasingly being viewed by stakeholders as a significant test of Nigeria’s electoral institutions and security architecture ahead of the 2027 general election.

The ability of INEC, security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders to uphold the law and maintain neutrality will therefore be critical to determining whether the election is ultimately regarded as free, fair, peaceful and credible.