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Stakeholders and residents in Osun State have expressed concern over the cancellation of the planned Osun 2026 Governorship Debate.

The stakeholders said the development has denied voters an opportunity to assess the programmes and policies of candidates ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

The debate, scheduled for Saturday, August 1, in Osogbo, was called off after the organisers cited security concerns and the reluctance of some leading governorship candidates to participate under the prevailing circumstances.

The event was jointly organised by Uniq FM, Rave FM, Diamond FM and Fresh FM.

In a statement, the organisers said “the decision was reached unanimously following unfavourable security reports and the unwillingness of some major candidates to attend the debate.”

They explained that “the cancellation was necessary to safeguard participants, invited guests, journalists and members of the public.”

The debate was expected to feature governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC, African Democratic Congress, ADC, Accord and the African Action Congress, AAC, providing an opportunity for them to present their manifestoes and respond to public questions before the election.

The organisers also noted that the decision followed reports of security concerns in parts of Osun State, adding that public safety remained their priority.

They thanked residents and stakeholders for their understanding and promised to communicate any future arrangements through appropriate channels.

Following the announcement, several residents reacted, with many expressing disappointment over the inability of the leading candidates to publicly present their plans for the state before the electorate.

Media executive and civil society advocate Jare Tiamiyu criticised the absence of the candidates from the debate, describing it as a missed opportunity for democratic engagement.

“It’s highly unfortunate that leading governorship candidates in Osun are avoiding scrutiny. It’s obvious that they intentionally orchestrate and sustain crisis to cover discussion on their agenda. So sad!” Tiamiyu wrote on his social media page.

Responding to the post, a resident identified as Mayowa argued that the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji, was preparing for a separate debate with Channels Television rather than the cancelled event.

Mayowa wrote, “My party governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), is preparing for a debate with an independent television station whose founder is not an appointee of Mr President or any governor. Rave FM, Fresh FM and Westerspring Television can invite AAC, SDP or Accord to their debate.”

Another resident, AbdulAzeez Ismail, also expressed concern over the development, saying governorship aspirants should be willing to explain their agenda directly to the electorate before seeking their votes.

The cancellation of the debate comes less than two weeks before the Osun governorship election.
(DAILY POST)

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Accord Party in Osun State on Saturday traded accusations over alleged plans to compromise the August 15 governorship election, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dismissing the claims raised by the ruling party as unlikely to be true.

The controversy began after the Accord Party alleged that the APC, in collaboration with a section of the Nigeria Police Force, was plotting to secure accommodation for local electoral officers across the 30 local government areas of the state as part of a plan to manipulate the outcome of the election.

In a statement issued by the state chairman of the party, Pastor Victor Akande, Accord claimed it had received credible reports that the Osun APC held a meeting in Osogbo on Friday night and resolved to direct Divisional Police Officers, through the Commissioner of Police, to arrange accommodation for electoral officers in each local government.

According to the party, the alleged plan was to use the facilities as “safe havens” where election results would be written before being announced as official results.

Accord urged INEC to reject what it described as an attempt to compromise its officials, while also accusing the police of gradually shifting from alleged partisan activities to direct interference in the electoral process.

“We view with grave concern this sinister plot, and we call on the Independent National Electoral Commission to reject any attempt to rope its officials into garrison accommodation for election rigging. Osun people reject any attempt to write election results from barricaded hotel rooms under police illegal operations,” the statement read.

The party further alleged that the police had no constitutional role in providing accommodation for electoral officers and warned against any action capable of undermining the credibility of the election.

However, the Osun APC dismissed the allegation as false, describing it as a fabrication borne out of fear of defeat by the Accord Party.

In a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, the APC said the allegation existed only in the imagination of the Accord leadership, insisting that its governorship candidate had no need to manipulate the electoral process to secure victory.

“The allegation is false, which only exists in the imagination of the leadership of the Accord Party in Osun State. It is borne out of the fear of the imminent loss of the party’s governorship candidate, Governor Ademola Adeleke, in the forthcoming August 15, 2026 election,” the APC stated.

The opposition party accused the Accord leadership of manufacturing excuses ahead of the poll and alleged that the ruling party had continued to misinform the public with falsehoods.

Amid the exchange, INEC dismissed the allegation, saying its operational guidelines make such a scenario unlikely.

Speaking with journalists at the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo on Saturday, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, said all ad hoc staff and election officials would be accommodated at designated Registration Area Centres (RACs) a day before the election, alongside security personnel.

“I know it is an allegation, and it is not likely to be true, because we have our RAC centres, and that is where our ad hoc staff is going to be accommodated with all the things that we need. Not only will the ad hoc staff be there, but the security agents will also be there. All our ad hoc staff will be there, and other officials of INEC at all levels will be there, and this will happen a day before the election,” Amupitan said.

He explained that the commission could not afford to lodge officials in different locations because they must be deployed to polling units between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on election day.

“They must get deployed to the polling unit by 7:00-7:30 a.m., so we cannot afford to scatter them. They are accommodated and housed at the RAC centre. So we cannot afford accommodation that will take our materials anywhere. Nonetheless, we will also put it as part of the risk factors,” the INEC chairman added.

The August 15 governorship election is expected to be keenly contested, with political parties intensifying campaigns and trading accusations as preparations for the poll gather momentum.

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The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has boasted that the Accord Party cannot withstand it in the forthcoming August 15, 2026, governorship election in Osun State.

The National Chairman of the party, Nentawe Yilwatda, said this on Tuesday at the inauguration of the Osun State APC Governorship Campaign Council in Abuja.

He likened the APC’s political strength in Osun State to a trailer facing a keke napep, declaring that no political party in the state, including Accord, the party of the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, can withstand the calibre of governors, National Assembly members and local government chairmen the APC is deploying ahead of the polls.

According to him, the committee members had been carefully selected from the National Assembly, governors, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), deputy governors, past and present lawmakers, and different stakeholders of the party, including the business community.

“It is like a trailer facing a keke. I do not know how the political party standing against us in Osun can withstand the strength of these people who are going there to mobilise and win the election in 2026,” he said.

Yilwatda emphasized that the APC would mobilise human and material resources across the state, with governors from the South-West, South-South and South-East each taking responsibility for a senatorial district alongside National Assembly members, House of Assembly members and local government chairmen, while governors from the North would also deploy their local government chairmen, councillors and lawmakers for grassroots campaigns.

The APC National Chairman described the Osun election as a litmus test for the party’s preparedness for the 2027 general election, saying it would serve as a rehearsal for the political machine being built for that contest.