By Frontline Reporters

Sensitive electoral materials have arrived in Osogbo ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to draw its ad-hoc personnel from a pool of more than 30,000 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The development comes as security agencies intensify preparations for the August 15 poll, with no fewer than 25,310 personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) deployed across the state to safeguard the electoral process.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, disclosed the planned deployment of NYSC members while providing an update on the commission’s preparations for the election. He said the exact number of ad-hoc personnel to be deployed had not been determined but would be drawn from the pool of more than 30,000 corps members available for the exercise.

“For number of ad-hoc staff, INEC will be pulling from a pool of over 30,000 NYSC members that we’re working with for the election,” Oketola said.

He disclosed that 2,339,233 voters were registered in Osun State, although he said he could not provide the latest figure for those who had collected their Permanent Voter Cards following the extension of the PVC collection exercise.

Oketola also confirmed that sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials were already in the state. He explained that, for security reasons, INEC would not disclose when the sensitive materials arrived, noting that they had been securely warehoused at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

“Right now, sensitive materials are already in Osun. Nobody will tell you when materials arrived Osun. What is most important is that they have arrived. You see, logistics is complex,” he said.

According to him, the commission will begin moving non-sensitive materials to local government areas and Registration Area Centres on Thursday, while sensitive materials, including ballot papers and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, will be moved from the CBN to local government offices on Friday.

He said police officers, other security personnel and electoral officials would be present at the CBN during the distribution of sensitive materials to ensure their safe movement to the various locations.

“By Friday, RAC centres will open, sensitive materials will move to the RACs and non-sensitive materials will also be moved, including ad hoc staff and security agents. This is including all the vehicles that will move them on election day,” Oketola explained.

He said the logistics plan was designed to ensure that electoral personnel and materials reached their destinations in good time for polling to commence at 8:30am on Election Day.

Beyond the core electoral materials, INEC is also deploying generators, water tanks and other essential equipment to different parts of the state, with Oketola stressing that the logistics involved were too extensive to be completed in a single day.

25,310 Security Personnel Deployed

No fewer than 25,310 security personnel have been deployed across Osun State for the election.

The deployment comprises 15,000 police officers, 10,210 NSCDC personnel and about 100 EFCC operatives, according to separate announcements by the security agencies.

The security build-up comes as 14 political parties prepare to participate in the August 15 governorship election, with incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress and Najeem Salam of the African Democratic Congress among the prominent contenders.

The NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Abubakar Audi, has ordered the deployment of 10,000 additional personnel from 10 neighbouring state commands to reinforce security operations across Osun.

The personnel are being drawn from Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Kogi, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory, with about 1,000 personnel expected from each command.

The reinforcement will complement the existing NSCDC deployment in Osun and cover the state’s 30 local government areas, including polling units, electoral officials, observers, journalists and residents.

NSCDC spokesman, Afolabi Babawale, said specialised units, including the Commandant-General’s Special Intelligence Squad, Special Weapons and Tactics Unit, Specialised Female Squad, Mining Marshals, Special Strike Force, Crack Squad and K9 Unit, had also been deployed.

He said the units would focus on intelligence gathering, crime prevention, protection of critical infrastructure, crowd control and other election-related operations.

The NSCDC said its Deputy Commandant-General in charge of Operations, Ayuba Phillip, alongside designated Assistant Commandant-Generals and other senior officers, would relocate to Osun to supervise the corps’ election security operations.

Audi charged personnel to remain professional, neutral and respectful of citizens’ rights throughout the exercise.

He warned political thugs and other individuals planning to disrupt the election that they would face the full weight of the law.

“The NSCDC in collaboration with other security agencies on election duty will not tolerate any activity intended to jeopardise the election process; criminal-minded persons and political thugs willing to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the election would face the wrath of the law as prescribed in the Electoral Act,” he said.

The Nigeria Police Force had earlier announced the deployment of 15,000 personnel to Osun, including officers assigned to polling units and other strategic locations.

Similarly, an EFCC official disclosed that about 100 operatives would be deployed to the state to monitor the election and prevent vote buying and other forms of electoral inducement.

Soldiers Take Charge at INEC Headquarters

Armed military personnel have also taken over security duties at the Osun State headquarters of INEC in Osogbo ahead of Saturday’s election.

Fully armed soldiers were observed stationed around the commission’s headquarters, while about three Armoured Personnel Carriers were reportedly deployed to reinforce security in the area.

The military presence followed the earlier deployment of anti-riot policemen and NSCDC operatives to secure the facility.

A security source said the soldiers arrived on Sunday and assumed security duties on Monday morning, adding that additional police and civil defence personnel would join them in the coming days.

“They arrived yesterday (Sunday), but their numbers increased today (Monday). The soldiers are in charge now, but all other security personnel are at their duty posts too,” the source said.

The Osun INEC Public Relations Officer, Musa Olurode, meanwhile, said the commission was fully prepared for Saturday’s election.

“Out of the 13 activities on the timeline of activities for the election, we have exhausted 12 and the last one is the day of the election. More so, the sensitive materials will be distributed on Thursday to various local governments,” he said.

IPAC Calls for Restraint

Meanwhile, the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has urged INEC and security agencies to ensure that Saturday’s election is free, fair and credible.

Speaking in Abuja after the council’s General Assembly meeting, IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, expressed concern over rising political tension in Osun ahead of the poll.

He urged political actors to tone down inflammatory rhetoric and allow the election to focus on policies, programmes and ideas.

“We urge all political actors to lower the temperature of political rhetoric and refrain from statements, threats, actions or counter-actions capable of aggravating tension or threatening the peace and stability of the State,” Dantalle said.

He called on INEC to conduct the election with professionalism, independence, transparency and impartiality, while ensuring compliance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act 2026 and the commission’s guidelines.

Dantalle also urged the electoral commission to treat all candidates and political parties equally, resolve complaints promptly and protect the integrity of the electoral process.

He identified transparent accreditation and voting, timely distribution of electoral materials and accurate collation of results as critical responsibilities of the commission.

On security, the IPAC chairman said personnel deployed for the election must operate strictly within their constitutional and statutory mandates and protect voters, candidates, party agents, electoral officials and election materials without discrimination.

He warned against the use of security agencies to suppress legitimate political activities or intimidate voters.

Dantalle also criticised the freezing of Osun State Government accounts by the EFCC, describing the action as politically motivated and potentially harmful to the administration of the state.

He said financial investigations should not deprive residents of access to funds required for salaries and essential public services.

The IPAC chairman further condemned vote buying, electoral violence and the alleged use of state institutions to intimidate political opponents.

He appealed to candidates, political parties and their supporters to embrace peaceful competition and pursue grievances through lawful channels.

“Let us remember that democracy is not simply about who wins an election; it is about ensuring that the process through which the winner emerges is credible, transparent, legitimate and reflective of the will of the people,” he said

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