Governor Adeleke, APC Candidate Oyebamiji and 12 Others Sign Osun Governorship Election Peace Accord
Seventeen days before the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election, Governor Ademola Adeleke, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji and twelve other contenders have signed a peace accord ahead of the poll.
The signing ceremony featured the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) standard‑bearer Adewale Adebayo and the African Action Congress (AAC) candidate Olajide Esan, alongside representatives of the fourteen political parties contesting the election. Candidates who could not attend were represented by party officials.
Oyebamiji was represented by his running mate, Kayode Adereti, and other APC leaders, while the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salam stood in for his party through its state chairman and additional officials.
The accord was organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Witnesses to the signing included NPC convener Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the Inspector‑General of Police Olatunji Disu (represented by Assistant Inspector‑General Fasuba Olabode of Zone XI) and INEC Chairman Professor Ojo Amupitan.
Traditional rulers, led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, also attended the event.
In his opening remarks, former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Cardinal John Onaiyekan urged all political actors and stakeholders to take responsibility for ensuring a free, fair and credible election.
“There is a need to embrace a peaceful poll. This election will go. I urge you to respect all the dictates of the Peace Accord you are all signing today,” Onaiyekan said.
The police representative assured residents that officers would act professionally before, during and after the election, noting that election‑duty personnel had already begun arriving in the state.
“Don’t entertain any fear. Police have started entering the state for election duty. Only the recognised security agencies will be allowed for election duties. All things will go well before, during, and after the election,” Olabode stated.
INEC Chairman Professor Ojo Amupitan commended the NPC for the initiative, saying the accord would support the commission’s efforts to conduct a peaceful election.
He added that INEC is working with anti‑graft agencies and the Office of the Attorney‑General of the Federation to combat vote‑buying.
“We are attacking vote‑buying head‑on. In direct synergy with the EFCC, ICPC and the Office of the Attorney‑General of the Federation, plainclothes financial intelligence officers will saturate polling unit perimeters,” Amupitan explained.
“Anyone attempting to buy or sell votes, whether through physical cash or digital transfers, will be arrested and prosecuted under the Electoral Act 2026.”
The Ooni of Ife appealed to residents not to allow politicians to use them to perpetrate violence or electoral malpractice.
“Power belongs to the people; power is in the hands of all of us. So I want to appeal to each and every one of us. We do not want violence,” Ogunwusi said.
The monarch expressed concern over rising political tension in the state and warned citizens against becoming victims of political rivalries.
“The political tension is too much, and you know our political gladiators. I always tell everybody there is no permanent friend among them; we are the ones who will suffer. Later on, they will go and align and leave all of us behind.
“They are always aligning, agreeing, and disagreeing. But what is critical is that Osun is bigger than all of us.”
