The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, has assured voters in Osun State that only the ballot box will determine the outcome of the 15 August governorship election.
Speaking at the Peace Accord signing ceremony in Osogbo, Professor Amupitan stated that the commission is interested purely in a lawful process rather than favouring any specific candidate.
“Leadership won at the expense of human life and public safety is a hollow victory,” Amupitan said. “Demobilise the use of violence, curb inflammatory rhetoric, and let the ballot box alone decide.”
Logistics and voter figures finalized
INEC confirmed that 7 out of the 9 scheduled pre-election activities have been completed. Operations will span 30 local government areas, 332 wards, and 3,763 polling units across the state.
Following automated voter register cleanups, the final certified register stands at 2,339,233 eligible voters. To maximize participation, the PVC collection window was extended to Friday, 31 July 2026, with over 322,000 newly registered voters already claiming their cards.
High-level security for identified hotspots
Addressing security concerns across the 14 competing political parties, the INEC chief noted that intelligence-led deployments will focus on key hotspot areas, including Ede North, Ede South, Osogbo, Ife Central, Ila, and Boripe.
Amupitan warned that any attempt to disrupt voting or collation will face the full weight of the law, supported by security agencies present at the accord signing, including representatives of the Inspector-General of Police and the National Peace Committee.
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