Adeleke, Oyebamiji, Salaam in Town Hall Today as Osun Guber Poll Gets Competitive

•  TICC to APC: You no longer can hide your unholy alliance with police to influence poll 

•NLC tells workers to vote candidates choice

• Atiku, Mark, Aregbesola, ADC stakeholders rally support for guber candidate, Salaam 

•Oyinlola, hunters, others pledge support for Oyebamiji

• IPAC rejects vote buying, warns against poll manipulation 

•EU denies rejecting INEC invitation, confirms electoral expert mission for 2027 poll

• I don’t want tension, we want peace, says CP

• NSCDC deploys 10,210 personnel, tactical units

Michael Olugbode, Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

With four days to the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, today is set to prove critical in the state’s electoral preparations as the three major candidates will square up at a town hall organised by the nation’s foremost television station, Arise News.

According to the Board of Editors at Arise News, the trio of Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress (APC) will unveil their plans for the state before a representative audience, whose attendance is strictly by invitation.

Holding at the Aurora Conference and Events Centre, Ring Road, Osogbo, the state capital, and beamed live from 11 this morning, the forum brings together the leading candidates in the governorship exercise titled:  The Battle for Osun State.

Apart from Arise’s traditional channel 416 on Dstv, the debate can also be watched live on Sky News 316, Gotv Channel 24, www.arise.tv, Arise News on YouTube, @Arisenews official on Instagram, @ARISEtv on X, Arise News on Facebook and LeKeeLeKee, broadcasting across the Middle East, Europe and 54 African countries.

Supported by the Tribune Newspapers, a live streaming of the town hall in Yoruba will also be done by the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation (OSBC), Osogbo.

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC) to APC: You No Longer Can Hide Your Unholy Alliance With Police in Osun

The Imole Campaign Council (TICC), has rejected as unfounded, allegation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State that Governor Ademola Adeleke was plotting to blackmail the Nigeria Police Force, accusing the APC of concocting outright falsehood to justify the abuse of the police to silence opponents.

It said Adeleke had since maintained a commitment to democratic principles and rule of law, canvassing support of the people for his re-election in a peaceful manner.

However, the campaign alleged that the APC chose the path of violence, aided by the Police to intimidate and harass the people considered to be against its bid to return to power in the state.

In a statement by Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, The Imole Campaign Council, Representative Bamidele Salam,  noted that, “It is nothing but mischief for the APC that has unleashed unimaginable violence on Osun people to turn around to blame the victim. Videos and pictures of political thugs with links to the APC openly shooting at the people are much available on the internet.

“Governor Adeleke is a man of peace and has always prevailed on all his supporters to conduct their activities within the ambit of the law.

“Notwithstanding this resolve, the Osun APC continues to weaponise the Police for political objectives by intimidating, harassing and in some worse cases, abduct leaders and members of the Accord to weaken support for the Adeleke’s re-election.”

NLC Tells Workers, Pensioners, Other Stakeholders to Vote Candidates of Choice

The Nigeria Labour Congress  (NLC) in Osun state, yesterday, directed all the state workers, pensioners and peoples to come out and perform their constitutional civic rights by voting candidates of their choice.

Chairman of NLC in the state, Christopher Arapasopo, who spoke at a mini congress of the labour union, said, “We are to send a signal and warning to any party that tries to intimidate or harass workers, pensioners and good people of Osun State.

“On the issue of EFCC that ‘banned’ the government account, there is need for us to inform the public of what really transpired.

“This is just a mini congress of organised labour in Osun State for workers and pensioners. We are here to inform the general public about happenings in Osun and how we feel about it.

“Somewhere in the news that thugs are going up and down shooting and the Police who are expected to do their jobs in protecting the properties of the people of Osun State are not doing it.

“Before that, on the 8th of April the organised labour wrote a letter to His Excellency, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke.

“We requested and demanded for palliatives for the workers and pensioners in the state. We requested for N20,000 for each worker and we later had a meeting and that was earlier July.

“We agreed based on the financial constraints in the state, the governor promised to pay N10,000 each for workers and pensioners. It was accepted by labour. In that meeting I could recall that we requested that June and July be paid. “

“We saw on the social media that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is saying the governor is trying to buy over. They tagged it vote buying of which they didn’t know that labour leaders were the ones that requested for palliatives for workers to cushion the effects of economic troubles in the country, of which Osun State is not exceptional.

“We are appealing to the president, who is the leader of the country, who is also the father of Osun State to please call Osun APC to order. This election should not be war. We as workers and pensioners of Osun State have every right to vote for whosoever that pleases us.

“No worker must be intimidated, no harassment of anybody and not to talk of any citizen of Osun State. We are appealing that this election should be free and fair.

“We are appealing to the international community to switch on their searchlight on Osun State. The Police should do their work. Their work is to protect citizens and not taking side.”

Speaking, too, the state Chairman Joint Negotiation Council, Comrade Olamilekan Adediran, advised all stakeholders, all the civil servants, Pensioners of Osun that have been in this system for a long time to work for the re-election of Governor Ademola Adeleke.

“We’ve been with several governors with different experience and  I implore all civil servants, pensioners, people of Osun to go out with their voters card, PVC, go to your polling unit, vote for your candidate of choice, without tension or fear.”

“We’ve been in Osun for long we know the government we like, we don’t want imposition in Osun, getting to the position of power is not do or die affair, we know what we want, what is suitable for our people here, we appeal to the president to help us talk to this people, coming to power doesn’t mean we should kill ourselves.

“It doesn’t mean we should freeze the account of the state, it doesn’t mean we should all the leaders all the cabinets of the state.”

Atiku, Mark, Aregbesola, Other ADC Stakeholders Rally Support for Salaam

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark, yesterday, stormed Osun State to canvass support for the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Najeem Folasayo Salaam, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

Addressing thousands of supporters at the party’s grand rally, Mark expressed confidence that the ADC would emerge victorious in the August 15 governorship poll.

He told party supporters that they would celebrate victory after Saturday’s election, urging them to remain committed to the party’s campaign.

Mark commended the large turnout at the rally and thanked party supporters for what he described as their determination to vote for the ADC.

He also acknowledged the presence of Atiku, noting that his attendance underscored the importance the party attached to the Osun governorship election.

According to him, no former presidential candidate had visited Osun during the campaign except Atiku, who personally came to mobilise support for the ADC candidate.

Atiku, however, formally presented the party’s flag to the ADC governorship candidate, Senator Najeem Folasayo Salaam, and his running mate, urging party members to work tirelessly for victory.

Atiku recalled his long political relationship with the people of Osun, saying, “This is the fourth time I am standing on this podium. I cannot forget Osun because your daughter is in my house.”

He thanked the people of the state for the support they gave him during previous presidential elections, saying he remained grateful for their loyalty.

The former Vice President described the ADC as a party populated by experienced and credible leaders committed to rebuilding Nigeria.

“I am here personally to appeal to you to vote for the African Democratic Congress on Saturday because some of the best Nigerians are in this party. I thank you for this massive turnout, and I believe you are going to win this election.”

Speaking shortly after receiving the party’s flag, Salaam urged the electorate to vote massively for the ADC, saying the state deserved a new direction.

Referring to allegations of vote buying that often trail elections, Salaam advised voters to collect any money offered by politicians but vote according to their conscience.

“What happened in Ekiti should not happen here. Collect whatever they give you if they choose to give money, but vote massively for the ADC,” he said.

Chairman of the ADC in Osun, Alhaji Isah Adesiji Azeez, declared that the party would not step down for any political party ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

Adesiji, who spoke at the ADC mega rally in Osogbo, said the party was not in alliance with any political party and remained determined to win the August 15 election.

“I want to use this medium to announce that we are not stepping down for any party. We are not pitching our tent with any party. We will vote and we will win,” he said.

Oyinlola, Hunters, Other APC Leaders Rally Support for  Candidate Oyebamiji

A former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, has  asked all the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders, Stakeholders and thousands of supporters to vote for the standard bearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Bola Oyebamiji in Saturday’s governorship election.

Oyinlola, who led all the party’s supporters, Stakeholders as well as leaders to the adoption and declaration support for APC candidate, contended that, “One of the major issues that have created this unfortunate situation, in our considered view, is the lack of inclusiveness in the governance of our state.”

However, Oyinlola also made it cleared that he and his supporters remained members of the PDP in the state.

According to one time Military Administrator of Lagos State, “Our membership of the PDP is not in question. We are proud members of the party, and we acknowledge the sacrifices, contributions and struggles that have brought the PDP to where it is today.”

He stressed that, “Being members of a political party does not mean that we should abandon our conscience or the larger interest of the people we have served.

“Party loyalty is important, but the interest of Osun State must always come first.

“Today, we are gathered here as leaders and stakeholders of the PDP who have played significant roles in the political development of our dear state.

“By the grace of God, I had the privilege of serving as Governor of Osun State for seven and a half years. Many of the distinguished leaders seated here today, as well as the majority of members of this convergence, have served our state in one capacity or another and have contributed immensely to the growth and development of Osun.

“We are therefore not newcomers to the political affairs of Osun State. We understand the history, we understand the struggles, and we understand the circumstances that brought us to where we are today.

“We were among the major stakeholders who worked tirelessly towards the emergence of the present administration under the platform of the PDP.

“We believed in that project. We supported it. We mobilised our people for it. We invested our time, energy and political capital in it because we believed that it represented the aspirations of our people.”

“Unfortunately, along the line, things began to fall apart.”

Oyebamiji, however, pledged to run an inclusive government in all ramifications, commending the stakeholders, particularly Oyinlola for the leadership roles.

In his short remarks, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, told voters to come out en mass to vote for the candidate of the party.

Hunters Dissatisfiedd with Adeleke’s Govt, Pledge 100,000 Votes for Bola Oyebamiji

The hunters community in Osun State has endorsed Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the August 15 governorship election, pledging to mobilise more than 100,000 votes for him.

Head of the hunters, Hammed Nureni, disclosed this while expressing the group’s dissatisfaction with the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke last night in Osogbo, the state capital.

Nureni said the decision to support Oyebamiji became a necessity following an alleged failure of the present administration to listen to the concerns and demands of hunters in the state.

“We want to assure that by August 15, we are going to vote out the present administration, we want this to be a lesson to all political parties that you don’t underrated anyone.

“We tried to negotiate with the present administration to let them know what is our problem, we wrote them and they called us useless people, and that is why our people have decided to vote them out.

“We have up to 14,000 members and adding our wives, children and friends we will deliver over 100,000 votes come August 15.”

Oyebamiji, however, described the development as timely, saying it demonstrated that various segments of Osun had endorsed his candidacy.

IPAC Rejects Vote Buying, Warns Against Manipulation of Osun Governorship Poll

The umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has rejected vote buying and other forms of electoral inducement ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.

It, therefore, warned political parties and candidates against attempting to purchase the mandate of the electorate.

The council also raised concerns over the deteriorating political atmosphere in the state, including insecurity, violence, intimidation and the alleged deployment of state institutions and security apparatus to suppress political opponents and influence voters.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday after the IPAC General Assembly meeting on the political situation in Osun State, its National Chairman, Dr. Yusuf M. Dantalle, said the August 15 election must be determined solely by the freely expressed will of the people.

Dantalle, who addressed journalists in company with chairmen of the various political parties, declared that the people of Osun must be allowed to choose their governor without intimidation, harassment, inducement, violence, manipulation or undue interference.

According to him, political parties and candidates must compete on the basis of their ideas, programmes, records and vision for the development of the state rather than through financial inducement of voters.

“The vote of every Nigerian is sacred. No citizen should be compelled, induced or coerced to exchange his or her vote for money, gifts, material benefits or political favours,” he said.

Dantalle urged all parties, candidates, supporters and campaign organisations to reject violence, political thuggery, intimidation, harassment and provocative rhetoric, stressing that no political victory would be meaningful if obtained in an atmosphere of fear.

“There can be no winner in an election conducted in an atmosphere of violence, fear and intimidation,” he said.

EU Denies Rejecting INEC Invitation, Deploys Electoral Expert Mission for 2027

The European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, has dismissed reports that it rejected an invitation by the In-dependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to observe Nigeria’s 2027 general election, describing the reports as inaccu-rate and speculative.

The EU, in a statement in Abuja, said it had received a formal invitation from INEC dated April 17, 2026, to deploy observers for the 2027 elections.

Contrary to reports that the EU had declined the invitation, citing worsening insecurity and alleged hostile treatment of its observers and officials following the publication of its final report on the 2023 general election, the delegation said it had ac-cepted the invitation and would deploy an Electoral Expert Mission (EEM).

It said the response to INEC, dated July 28, 2026, thanked the electoral commission for the invitation and informed it that the EU would field an EEM comprising between two and four independent experts, who would be formally accredited as observ-ers by INEC.

The delegation stressed that the two reasons attributed to the EU in the reports did not appear in its letter to INEC.

“The two alleged reasons mentioned in the press reports do not appear in the letter: these are pure speculations,” the EU said.

According to the delegation, an Electoral Expert Mission, like an Electoral Observation Mission, assesses whether an electoral process is conducted in line with international, regional and national obligations and commitments on democratic elections to which the country has subscribed.

The mission would also submit a final report containing recommendations on improving Nigeria’s electoral framework and future electoral processes.

The EU said the report would be shared with the Nigerian government and could subsequently be made available to the wider public if the government agreed.

Explaining its decision to deploy an expert mission rather than a larger electoral observation mission, the delegation said the European Union made decisions annually on electoral missions to partner countries that invite it, with the type of mission de-termined by the circumstances of each country and the resources available.

“It is on this basis that the decision to conduct an EEM in Nigeria has been taken and will be further consulted with the rele-vant Nigerian authorities for its implementation,” it stated.

CP: I Don’t Want Tension, But Peace, We Can’t Hold Poll in Unsecure Environment

The Commissioner of Police  in charge of  Osun Election, Samuel Erale Etaifo, yesterday, in Osogbo, informed a group of women protesters that his mandate in the state was to stop heightened tension before, during and after the gubernatorial election.

The Protest, which was held at Largo Grammar School, Osogbo was led by Osun First lady, Mrs, Titilayo Adeleke, Commissioner for Women Affairs, Ayobola Awolowo and Senior Adviser on Market, Mrs Eniola Omotosho.

The Commissioner, who threatened to stop the protest noted that, “If not because I have utmost respect for women, if not for that, I would have directed my men to stop you from protest.

“I have been here for the past two weeks, on the instruction of Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu in an efforts to douse tension in the state, saying for the first time in history, the IG directed CP election to come three weeks to the election.

“If you noticed that since I came we have relative peace in the state but the problem we have is that we cannot continue to tolerate what you have done today because it will not contribute to peace, it will cause tension again.

“Let us assume that  as you come out now and the other party comes out, then both of you meet, what will happen, We are going to go back and restrategise to attend to all your demands.

“Why I am discussing with you is because we don’t want tension before the election, we want peace, we cannot conduct election in an insecure environment.

“I have mandate from the IG to come to the state to stabilise things, give an enabling environment for every political actors to exercise their franchise, to create public confidence for everyone to come out to vote on election day.

“If you are a manipulator of any election, that is even the worst, the IG and Nigeria will not forgive you, I will arrest you and take you to Abuja because this election is a federal election we must get it right.

“I want to applaud you that this protest is peaceful but I want to implore you to go back so that nothing will happen to you. I will assign my men to escort you back to where your started the protest from.”

Earlier, Osun First lady, Mrs, Titilayo Adeleke, demanded free and fair election in the forthcoming poll, saying, “We want peace, let there be peace in the state.”

She also pleaded with the police Commissioner to invite Senator Francis Fadahunsi, Wole Oke and Kehinde Raji, for questioning to stop the killing in the state.

NSCDC Deploys 10,210 Personnel, Tactical Units

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has deployed 10,210 personnel and specialised tactical units to Osun State ahead of the governorship election, as security agencies intensify preparations to ensure a peaceful, free and credible poll.

The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Prof. Ahmed Audi, ordered the deployment of 10,000 personnel drawn from 10 neighbouring State Commands, alongside specialised formations of the Corps, to reinforce security operations across the state.

The deployment, which commenced yesterday, is aimed at protecting voters, electoral officials, election materials, observers, journalists and residents from threats, intimidation and other forms of electoral violence.

According to a statement by the Assistant Commandant of Corps and National Public Relations Officer of the NSCDC, Babawale Afolabi, about 1,000 personnel each from the Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Kogi, Delta and Federal Capital Territory Commands would reinforce the Osun State Command.

The personnel, comprising uniformed and undercover operatives, would operate alongside other security agencies under the established inter-agency security framework.

Audi also ordered the deployment of specialised formations, including the CG’s Special Intelligence Squad, Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit, Specialised Female Squad, Mining Marshals, Special Strike Force, Crack Squad and K9 Unit.

The specialised teams, the Corps said, would strengthen intelligence gathering, crime prevention and detection, protection of critical assets, crowd control and other election-related security operations.

To ensure effective coordination and supervision, the Deputy Commandant General in charge of Operations, DCG Ayuba Phillip, alongside designated Assistant Commandants General and other senior officers, would relocate to Osun State to oversee the Corps’ election security operations.

The NSCDC boss assured residents that the Corps would remain professional, impartial and respectful of citizens’ rights throughout the electoral process.

Audi charged NSCDC personnel to work in synergy with other security agencies, stressing that the safety of electoral officials, election materials and voters remained critical to the success of the exercise.

“Our personnel have been properly briefed on the need to be professional, neutral and respectful in the discharge of their duties,” he said.