With just 15 days to the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election, Governor Ademola Adeleke, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and 12 other candidates have signed a peace accord.
Other notable signatories included Adewale Adebayo of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Olajide Esan of the African Action Congress (AAC), among others.
The 14 candidates contesting the governorship seat were represented either in person or by party officials. The APC candidate was represented by his deputy, Kayode Adereti, alongside party executives, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Najeem Salam, was represented by party officials including the state chairman.
The peace pact was organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The signing was witnessed by NPC Convener Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah; former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan; Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu (represented by AIG Zone XI, Fasuba Olabode); INEC Chairman Prof. Ojo Amupitan; and traditional rulers led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
In his opening remarks, Cardinal Onaiyekan urged stakeholders to take responsibility for delivering a free, fair, and credible election. ‘There is a need to embrace peaceful polls. This election will come and go. I urge you to respect all the dictates of the peace accord you are signing today,’ he said.
AIG Olabode assured residents of adequate security, noting that police operatives had already begun arriving in the state for election duty. ‘Don’t entertain any fear. Only recognised security agencies will be allowed for election duties. All will go well before, during, and after the election,’ he said.
INEC Chairman Prof. Amupitan commended the NPC for the initiative, stressing that it would strengthen the commission’s efforts to deliver a peaceful poll. He disclosed that vote-buying would be tackled head-on, with financial intelligence officers deployed in synergy with the EFCC, ICPC, and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation to monitor polling units. ‘Anyone attempting to buy or sell votes-whether through cash or digital transfers-will be arrested and prosecuted under the Electoral Act 2026,’ he said.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, admonished residents to shun violence and resist being used by politicians for electoral fraud. ‘Power belongs to the people. The political tension is too much, and our gladiators are always aligning, disagreeing, and realigning. But what is critical is that Osun is bigger than all of us,’ he said.