Fresh concerns have emerged over the security of the forthcoming Osun State governorship election after armed hoodlums attacked an Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Permanent Voter Card (PVC) distribution centre in Okuku, Odo-Otin Local Government Area of Osun State.

The attack occurred at the Oyinlola DC Primary School, Ward 2 PVC collection centre, where about 10 armed men reportedly stormed the facility, firing gunshots into the air to disperse election officials and prospective voters before fleeing with three packs of PVCs.

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According to the Osun State Police Command, the attackers remain unidentified. The police said the armed hoodlums invaded the PVC collection centre, fired gunshots into the air to scare away officials and prospective voters, and escaped with the voter cards.

No casualties were recorded during the incident.

The attack has heightened public anxiety ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election, with concerns over the security of electoral materials and the integrity of the voting process.

Although the stolen PVCs are unlikely to be used to cast votes due to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which requires biometric verification before accreditation, stakeholders warn that the incident could still disenfranchise legitimate voters or be aimed at creating fear and disrupting the electoral process.

Security experts have called on INEC, the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant agencies to intensify investigations, recover the stolen PVCs and bring those responsible to justice.

They also urged election officials to monitor polling units linked to the stolen voter cards and ensure that any attempt to use them on election day is detected and dealt with in accordance with the law.

With the Osun governorship election just days away, the incident has renewed calls for tighter security around electoral facilities to protect the credibility of the electoral process and reassure voters of their safety.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the public display of the personal particulars and academic credentials submitted by candidates for the 2027 general elections, starting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The exercise commenced on Saturday in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, which requires the electoral body to publish candidates’ nomination documents within 21 days of receiving them.

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Documents contained in Form EC9 show that President Tinubu submitted a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Chicago State University, United States. His transcript indicates the degree was awarded with honours on June 22, 1979.

The records also include his National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate, showing he served in Oyo State between December 1982 and November 1983.

According to the nomination form, Tinubu’s employment history includes Mobil Nigeria Limited, where he worked from 1983 to 1992 before leaving for “advancement,” the Lagos State Government, where he served until the “legal end of tenure” in 2007, and the Federal Government, where he has served since assuming office in 2023.

The form lists his date of birth as March 29, 1952, his place of birth as Lagos, and his occupation as a politician. While his university qualification is fully stated, the years for his primary and secondary education were entered as “0000.”

Vice President Shettima’s documents outline his educational journey from primary school to postgraduate studies. Records show he attended Lamisula I Primary School between 1972 and 1978 before moving to Government Secondary School, Potiskum, where he obtained his WAEC certificate in 1983.

He later graduated with a Second Class Upper degree in Agriculture from the University of Maiduguri in 1989 and went on to earn a Master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Ibadan.

His NYSC discharge certificate shows he completed national service between October 1989 and October 1990.

Explaining the exercise, INEC stated that “Form EC9 contains the credentials, personal particulars and affidavits submitted by candidates sponsored by political parties.”

The commission said the documents have been displayed at its offices nationwide to allow members of the public to inspect them.

It also reminded Nigerians that the Electoral Act permits interested persons to obtain certified true copies of nomination documents and seek legal redress where allegations of false declaration or forgery arise.

Meanwhile, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to begin on August 19, while campaigns for governorship and state assembly elections will commence later in accordance with the commission’s revised timetable.

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed claims that the ruling party is responsible for the internal crises and defections rocking opposition parties, insisting that Peter Obi’s history of switching political parties predates the APC government.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Yilwatda said Obi had been changing political platforms since 2014 and was never forced out of any party by the APC.

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Responding to allegations that the ruling party had orchestrated divisions within opposition parties ahead of the 2027 general elections, Yilwatda maintained that the APC had no role in Obi’s departures from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), or his eventual move to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

“Nobody in APC chased Peter Obi out of PDP. Nobody from APC chased Obi out of the Labour Party. Nobody in APC chased him out of the Labour Party to ADC or chased him out of ADC again to NDC,” he said.

He added that Obi’s pattern of changing political parties began long before the APC assumed power.

“He started moving from his party long before now, during the time of President Jonathan in 2014. It means that APC has been the person chasing him from 2015 till date, when we were even opposition?” Yilwatda said.

The APC chairman described the challenges facing opposition parties as self-inflicted, arguing that many politicians frequently move from one political platform to another in search of opportunities.

“This is a group of people who have a self-inflicted wound. Every day, they move from party to party,” he stated.

Yilwatda also claimed that Obi left the ADC after discovering he could not secure an automatic presidential ticket before joining the NDC, where he eventually emerged as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 election.

“When he left Labour Party, he moved to ADC. He came to ADC, he discovered that he couldn’t get an automatic ticket. That’s why he left to NDC. And in NDC now, he has gotten his ticket,” he said.

He argued that if the APC truly intended to destabilise Obi politically, the ruling party would have prevented him from obtaining the NDC presidential ticket.

Yilwatda further denied allegations that APC members had infiltrated opposition parties to create instability.

“There’s no single member of APC that is in ADC. No single member of APC that is in NDC,” he said.

However, he acknowledged that persuading politicians from other parties to join the APC is part of his responsibility as national chairman.

“Of course, we do it. We move around. That’s even the role. That’s my role as national party chairman. It’s part of my role… To galvanise and mobilise the party,” he added.

The APC chairman also dismissed suggestions that politicians who defect to the ruling party are shielded from corruption investigations.
“Never. Most people who are in APC have still been prosecuted,” he said.

His remarks come amid continued accusations by Obi and other opposition leaders that the APC is fuelling internal crises within rival parties as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.