Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has declared that no Osun citizen’s life is worth losing on account of the forthcoming governorship election, stressing that the Commission places a high premium on peace as the election draws near. This was contained in the INEC Daily Bulletin, Volume 2, Number 479 of July 31, 2026.
Prof. Amupitan stated this on Friday, 31st July, 2026, during a courtesy visit to the Ataoja of Osogbo, His Royal Majesty, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanikpekun, at his palace.
He said the Commission had, prior to the visit, engaged security agencies, including the Police, the Minister of Defence, and the Service Chiefs, to secure special deployment to the state, noting that violence would not be tolerated in the process of determining who governs Osun.
The INEC Chairman appealed to the monarch to use his position to preach peace to the people, particularly to political actors in the state, in order to check the rising political tension ahead of the poll.
He informed the Ataoja that the Osun election, being the last major off-cycle poll before the 2027 general elections, would serve as a barometer for the credibility of the exercise nationwide, and appealed to Osun indigenes to shun electoral violence and allow the will of the people to prevail.
Prof. Amupitan disclosed that the Commission extended the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise beyond its earlier deadline of 28 July, 2026, after discovering that less than 70 percent of registered voters had collected their cards, adding that the Commission currently has over 2.3 million registered voters in the state.
He further disclosed that a mock accreditation exercise, aimed at testing INEC’s machines and equipment ahead of the election, would hold on Saturday in selected local government areas across the three senatorial districts of the state.
The INEC Chairman decried the spread of misinformation and recycled videos of past violent incidents being circulated to discourage voter turnout, citing a similar case during the FCT Area Council election, which was later traced to a 2011 video falsely presented as recent.
He assured that the Commission, working with security agencies, had put measures in place to protect INEC infrastructure, materials, staff and voters, and to pre-empt any attempt at disruption.
Responding, the Ataoja of Osogbo commended the INEC Chairman for the visit, describing it as a demonstration of respect for the traditional institution, and commended his commitment to improving the electoral process in the country.
The monarch assured the INEC Chairman of the total support of the traditional institution towards ensuring a peaceful election in Osun State, and called on the Commission to provide a level playing field for all candidates in the election.
Prof. Amupitan thereafter rounded off the day’s engagements with a working visit to Supervisory Presiding Officers undergoing training in Osogbo.
END
