A Civil Society Organisation, Yiaga Africa, has warned that rising tension, pre-election violence and inflammatory rhetoric could discourage voters from participating in Saturday’s Osun State governorship election.

The organisation raised the alarm on Thursday during a pre-election press conference in Osogbo, where the Chairperson of the Osun Election Observation Mission, Dr Asmau Maikudi, urged political actors and other stakeholders to create a peaceful environment for voters.

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Maikudi said preparations for the election were broadly on track but stressed that the credibility of the exercise would ultimately depend on the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission on election day.

She said INEC had carried out key preparations across the state’s 30 Local Government Areas, including Permanent Voter Card distribution, recruitment and training of election officials, mock accreditation, BVAS configuration, stakeholder engagement and election security coordination.

“The electoral umpire had undertaken key preparatory activities across the 30 Local Government Areas, including Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) distribution, recruitment and training of election officials, mock accreditation, BVAS configuration, stakeholder engagement and election security coordination.

“Election-day credibility will depend on timely deployment, reliable technology, consistent application of the law and effective contingency planning,” she said.

However, Maikudi noted that PVC collection was disrupted in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas, limiting some eligible voters’ ability to obtain their cards.

She said although INEC had announced plans to enable affected voters to download electronic PVCs, limited access to digital services could prevent some voters from benefiting from the arrangement.

“This increases the risk of voter disenfranchisement,” she warned.

On security, the Yiaga Africa official cited the attack on a PVC collection centre in Odo-Otin, politically linked violence in Osogbo and disputes over control of motor parks as developments that had heightened security risks ahead of the poll.

She also expressed concern over what she described as an escalation in incendiary rhetoric and hate speech attributed to political actors.

“Yiaga Africa expressed concern over the escalation of incendiary rhetoric and hate speech attributed to political actors. Such rhetoric could legitimise violence, deepen partisan hostility and undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

“We called for intelligence-led, coordinated and strictly impartial security deployment, with enhanced protection for electoral personnel, facilities, materials and voters,” Maikudi said.

She urged security and law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute electoral violence, threats, hate speech and related offences without regard to political status, party affiliation or influence.

Maikudi further warned that unresolved technical problems could disenfranchise eligible voters, create tension at polling units and undermine confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of the election.

She called for more targeted voter education, particularly for women, youths and persons with disabilities, stressing the need to sustain political awareness and civic engagement ahead of the election.

Yiaga Africa also identified voter inducement as a significant integrity risk, saying it had documented the distribution of money and gift items by political actors.

According to Maikudi, some of the distributions were presented as social interventions or charitable support, but their timing and proximity to campaign activities raised concerns about voter inducement and undue influence.

She said voter education activities had expanded since July 1, with INEC, civil society organisations and the National Orientation Agency playing key roles.

Maikudi, however, cautioned that pre-election violence, inflammatory rhetoric and persistent distrust in the electoral process could suppress voter participation on election day.

Residents of Osun State have expressed concern that escalating political violence and killings ahead of Saturday’s governorship election could discourage voters from turning out to exercise their franchise.

Some residents who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday also questioned whether the election would be peaceful, free and credible, without disruption, inconclusiveness or cancellation.

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A civil servant, Seun Akinboboye, said the rising political tension and reported killings could scare voters away from polling units.

He urged candidates and political actors to ensure their supporters obeyed the rules and avoided acts capable of triggering violence.

Akinboboye also appealed to security agencies to provide adequate protection for voters on Election Day to enable them to perform their civic responsibility without fear.

Similarly, a business owner, Demilola Olasunkanmi, said the activities of political thugs had become alarming and required urgent intervention.

She called for increased security during and after the election, urging security personnel to restrict movement during the poll to essential workers and others with legitimate reasons to be on the streets.

Olasunkanmi also advised residents to remain vigilant and cautious to avoid becoming victims of any unforeseen incident.

For Elizabeth Oluwatoyin, the fear of political violence is strong enough to keep her and her family away from the polls.

“All these politicians are the same. It is always about their selfish interest and enriching themselves and their families.

“I will not, because of the election, let them kill me. They have been killing each other for the past two to three months,” she said.

Oluwatoyin said she had warned her daughter against discussing politics publicly to avoid becoming a target.

She also said she had appealed to her husband not to risk his life for any politician, noting that politicians could eventually reconcile after the election.

“As the whole thing is going, I don’t think anybody from my family will go out and vote in this coming governorship election,” she added.

However, an elderly resident, Ajeniwura Adeoye, said he would not allow the violence to prevent him from voting.

“Look at me, I am almost 70 years old and I have been voting since 1979.
“I cannot be intimidated at my age and prevented from coming out now to vote for the candidate I want,” he said.

Adeoye said he believed the killings and shootings were intended to discourage voters from participating in the election.

While acknowledging the concerns over safety, he urged residents to come out and exercise their franchise, noting that the police had assured the public of adequate security.

He also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain impartial and urged security agencies to protect voters on Election Day.

Meanwhile, a businesswoman, Ronke Ajibade, said her expectation was for a peaceful election without bloodshed or killings.

She said she would be willing to vote if the security situation remained calm, while appealing to candidates and political parties to play by the rules and reject violence.

Another resident of Owode-Ede, Olawale Ibrahim, described the political atmosphere as frightening, warning that continued tension could discourage voters from participating.

He urged political actors to regard the election as a normal contest in which there would be a winner and a loser, rather than treating it as a do-or-die affair.

NAN reports that there have been a series of killings in Osun ahead of the election, with political parties trading accusations and counter-accusations.

The concerns over voter safety come as the state prepares for Saturday’s governorship election, with residents calling for stronger security measures to ensure that eligible voters can participate without fear.

Osun State Governor and Accord Party governorship candidate, Ademola Adeleke, has appealed to residents to support his bid for another term in office, saying his administration has delivered significant development across the state.

Adeleke made the appeal on Tuesday while speaking at the Arise Townhall, where he highlighted some of the achievements of his administration and expressed confidence in securing victory in the forthcoming governorship election.

The governor recalled his experience in the 2018 governorship election, which he said he lost after being cheated, adding that he subsequently returned to school before staging a comeback in 2022.

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“I was cheated in 2018. I went back to school and returned in 2022,” Adeleke said.

He said his administration had prioritised the development of Osun State and promised that public funds would continue to be deployed for the benefit of the people.

“Osun State money will stay in Osun,” he said, assuring residents that “more goodies are on the way.”

Adeleke also pointed to several road projects executed by his administration, saying some of the roads had been abandoned for years before his government intervened.

He dismissed claims that roads constructed under his administration were substandard, insisting that qualified Nigerian engineers handled the projects.

“It is a sin to say that the roads I constructed are substandard. I used professional engineers. I used Nigerian engineers. I supervised their work,” he said.

The governor maintained that his administration had “done so much” for Osun residents and claimed that the people had recognised the impact of the projects across the state.

He also accused the All Progressives Congress of relying on propaganda to discredit his administration.

Adeleke further defended his public dancing, which has become a notable feature of his political appearances, insisting that the hobby had no effect on his ability to govern.

“Those that can’t dance are jealous of me. In my family, we have music in our blood. Nobody will stop me from dancing. I dance and work. There is time to dance and there is time to work,” he said.

He also alleged that federal might was being used to intimidate voters ahead of the election but expressed confidence that he would emerge victorious.

“Dancing is my hobby. In this election, I will be victorious,” Adeleke declared.

On security, the governor said his background in criminology had equipped him with the knowledge needed to tackle security challenges in the state.

“I am a security expert. I studied criminology. My aim is to protect my people, and I am doing that,” he said.

Adeleke disclosed that his administration had recruited about 1,500 Amotekun personnel, adding that the recruits received training from senior security officers.

He alleged that Osun had remained relatively peaceful until the approach of the election, when, according to him, intimidation and violence began to emerge.

“Osun has been peaceful until recent times, when the election approaches. They started intimidating and killing our people,” he alleged.

The governor said he had raised the security concerns with relevant authorities and held meetings with security experts on measures to protect residents before, during and after the election.