‘Rising violence threatens peaceful conduct of Osun governorship election’

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) has raised serious concerns over escalating violence and insecurity in Osun State ahead of the August 15, 2026 Governorship election, warning that the trend poses a major threat to peaceful conduct of the poll.

Speaking at a press conference held in Osogbo on Thursday, Bukola Idowu, the Executive Director of KDI, said that the organisation through its ongoing pre-election observation and violence monitoring activities had documented 44 election-related violent incidents across the state between October 2025 and June 2026, resulting in 13 deaths, several injuries and destruction of property.

Idowu said, the incidents included shootings, physical assaults, verbal threats, crowd intimidation and destruction of property in politically sensitive areas across the State.

He further disclosed that “KDI also documented 24 non-election-related violent incidents during the same period, resulting in 23 fatalities, underscoring that the election is unfolding within a broader security environment that requires careful management.

“Particularly concerning is the pace of escalation of electoral violence. Twenty-six (26) of the 44 verified election-related incidents during the monitoring period occurred in May and June 2026 alone representing 59.1% of all verified election-related violence. This concentration of incidents barely two months preceding the election constitutes a significant early warning signal that must not be ignore and requires urgent preventive action”, he said.

Idowu urged political parties and candidates to commit to peaceful, issue-based campaigns and instruct supporters to avoid violence, hate speech, threats, intimidation, and inflammatory rhetoric.

He also called on security agencies to adopt intelligence-driven preventive measures in identified hotspots, investigate all reported incidents, including the death of Olapade, and prosecute offenders irrespective of political affiliation.

The organisation further urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to intensify voter education, enforce electoral regulations, as well as communicate clearly and consistently to reduce misinformation, rumours, and suspicion around logistics, polling arrangements, and result management.

KDI appealed to citizens to reject violence, vote-buying and other forms of electoral misconduct, insisting that political leaders should earn votes through ideas, performance and credibility rather than fear and intimidation.