The countdown to Saturday’s Osun State governorship election has taken a troubling turn, with allegations of violence, threats, political arrests and voter intimidation increasingly overshadowing the campaign for the state’s top political office.
Across the political divide, parties and civil society organisations are trading accusations over the conduct of politicians and security agencies, raising fresh concerns about whether voters will be able to approach the ballot box without fear or coercion.
The tension escalated on Wednesday when Senator Francis Fadahunsi, representing Osun East, was questioned by the police over a viral video in which he was allegedly heard threatening members of the Accord Party.
Fadahunsi, who spent more than two hours at the Osun State Police Command, was subsequently released.
The senator rejected the interpretation of the video, insisting that his controversial remark had been manipulated and that he was referring to defeating his opponents at the polls.
“I am a Yoruba man. If a Hausa or Igbo person is interpreting, it may not be correct. Yoruba means a lot of things. What I said was that between now and Saturday, we will kill them with our votes,” he told journalists after his release.
But the controversy has refused to die down, with the incident becoming one of several flashpoints in an increasingly charged election environment.
The Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, has separately petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, over an alleged threat by the APC candidate for Ifelodun/Boripe/Odo-Otin Federal Constituency, Francis Eniade.
Egbedun said the alleged threat, contained in another viral video, specifically mentioned him and other voters in the constituency.
He urged the police to investigate the matter, arguing that threats against voters should not be dismissed as ordinary political rhetoric.
“This is not merely political rhetoric that should be dismissed or ignored. It is a matter that raises serious concerns about threats to life, voter intimidation and the promotion of political violence ahead of the election,” the Speaker said.
The APC has meanwhile rallied behind Fadahunsi, dismissing the controversy surrounding the video as a politically motivated attempt to damage the senator ahead of the election.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Information, Kola Olabisi, the party accused Governor Ademola Adeleke’s camp of manipulating the video and using the controversy to settle political scores.
Fadahunsi, in a separate press conference, turned the accusation back on Adeleke, alleging that the governor had allowed political violence to spread across Osun East.
The senator alleged that 30 APC members had been killed in the past month, while also citing earlier violent incidents in Ijesaland and Esa-Oke.
Those allegations could not independently be established from the claims contained in the report.
The growing tension has also drawn warnings from opposition political leaders.
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, speaking at the ADC National Youth Leadership Summit in Abuja, described the Osun election as an important test of Nigeria’s democratic credentials ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He criticised what he described as excessive security deployment, warning against turning the election into a military operation.
“Elections are civil engagements, not military operations. Ballot papers are not bullets. Voters are not enemy combatants. Opposition members are not insurgents,” Atiku said.
He urged security agencies to remain neutral and protect voters rather than intimidate opposition supporters.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) also raised concerns over what it described as a worrying pattern of electoral violence, political intimidation and vote buying.
In a statement by its Executive Director, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the organisation said reports of political thugs being recruited and deployed to intimidate voters and disrupt campaign activities required urgent intervention.
CISLAC also questioned reports of armed military personnel at the Osun State office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, insisting that any military involvement in an election must have a clear legal basis, remain within its mandate and respect neutrality and citizens’ rights.
The organisation called for transparent investigation and prosecution of electoral offences without political favour.
The Accord Party has taken its concerns beyond Nigeria, asking the European Union to intervene in what it described as a deteriorating political situation in Osun.
In a letter to the EU delegation in Nigeria, the party’s National Chairman, Maxwell Mgbudem, alleged that at least 29 people had been killed and more than 60 Accord members and supporters arrested or detained in connection with the political crisis.
The allegations remain claims by the party and were not independently established in the material provided.
Mgbudem warned that selective or poorly explained actions by security and regulatory institutions during an election could undermine public confidence in the process.
ADC alleges plan to arrest Aregbesola
The African Democratic Congress has also alleged a plan to arrest its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, before Saturday’s election.
ADC spokesman Bolaji Abdullahi said the party had received reports of an impending arrest and warned that any attempt to remove Aregbesola from the field at this stage could disrupt the party’s election coordination.
The party said any invitation by security agencies should follow established legal procedures.
Amid the political turbulence, the Independent National Electoral Commission has introduced another significant development by adding Social Democratic Party candidate Dr Francis Olugbenga Ajala and his running mate, Faseke Babajimi Oladipo, to the Osun governorship ballot.
INEC said the decision followed a Federal High Court judgment delivered on July 22, 2026, directing the commission to recognise and process Ajala’s candidacy.
The commission said reproduced ballot papers containing the SDP candidates would arrive in Osun on Thursday.
The development effectively adds another contender to an already closely watched governorship race.
The Yoruba for Democratic Values, through its Convener, Debo Adeniran, appealed to politicians and their supporters to abandon inflammatory rhetoric.
The group warned against turning Yorubaland into a “killing field” for political competition, stressing that elections should be contests over ideas, programmes and competence rather than bloodshed and intimidation.
It also warned that political violence could inflict wider damage on Osun through disruptions to businesses, education, transportation, investment and livelihoods.
Meanwhile, Accord presidential candidate Gbenga Hashim warned politicians allegedly inciting violence that they could face serious legal consequences, including possible international prosecution.
Against the tense backdrop, Governor Ademola Adeleke has declared Friday a work-free day for public servants to enable them to travel and participate in Saturday’s election.
The directive, issued through the Head of Service, Ayanleye Aina, exempts workers engaged in emergency and essential duties.
The governor urged residents to turn out and vote while defending their ballots.
With accusations flying across party lines, security agencies under intense scrutiny and civil society groups warning of a potentially volatile environment, Saturday’s Osun election has become more than a contest for the governorship.
It is increasingly shaping up as a test of whether Nigeria can conduct a fiercely contested election without allowing political rivalry, security deployment or inflammatory rhetoric to overwhelm the voters’ right to freely choose their leaders.
Osun State Map
