An All Progressives Congress (APC) supporter, Ayegbo Oluwadele, was shot dead while another party member, Taiwo Oluwadele, was critically injured in Esa-Oke, Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State, ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
The incident occurred on Thursday around the Oluwole Oka family compound in Esa-Oke, heightening concerns over election-related violence in the state.
Ayegbo was the nephew of Busayo Oluwole Oke, the Director-General of the APC Campaign Council and a member of the House of Representatives.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Command, Abiodun Ojelabi, confirmed the killing when contacted but declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The spokesperson for the APC Campaign Council, Oluremi Omowaye, also confirmed the attack.
“Unfortunately, we lost Ayegbo Oluwadele. Another member of our party, Taiwo, is still in a very critical condition,” Omowaye said.
He alleged that members of rival political parties were responsible for attacks on APC supporters in different parts of the state.
Omowaye claimed that about 40 APC members had been killed in the build-up to the election, although he did not provide details to substantiate the figure.
He also alleged that five people were shot in Ilesa several days ago, with four of them killed and another left in critical condition at a teaching hospital.
According to him, the victims were allegedly attacked because they were wearing APC caps.
Omowaye further identified three APC members — Idowu Laide, Ebuke Emmanuel and Adebiyi Ebeneezer — whom he said were attacked in Atakumasa East Local Government Area.
Another APC chieftain, Kehinde Ayantunji, accused a member of the state House of Assembly of attacking APC members in Odo-Otin Local Government Area.
Ayantunji also alleged that the APC House of Representatives candidate, Francis Eniade, was attacked in front of the Okuku Divisional Police Station.
However, the Osun State Commissioner for Information, Kolapo Alimi, denied the allegation that members of the Accord Party attacked APC supporters.
The latest incident comes amid growing concerns from civil society groups and professional bodies over violence ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe, said available data showed that about 73 election-related violence incidents had been reported between May and July, resulting in about 29 deaths.
Osigwe, who spoke at a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday, urged security agencies deployed for the election to remain neutral and protect voters, INEC officials and other participants.
He said the recent incidents made it necessary for the NBA to begin observing the election process before election day.
“From all the feedback and all the reports we have got, the violence that has taken place in Osun State and which is related to this election is not spontaneous. They are orchestrated; they are planned and coordinated,” he said.
The NBA president identified Osogbo and Ilesa as major flashpoints, saying more than half of the reported incidents occurred in the two areas.
He warned that violence must not be used to intimidate voters or prevent them from exercising their franchise.
The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, also said more than 35 people had been killed in election-related violence in the build-up to the election.
Itodo described the situation as a major concern, saying the election had been “signposted by pre-election violence.”
He said the Osun poll was strategically important as the last off-cycle governorship election before the 2027 general elections and would provide an opportunity to test new electoral innovations introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He expressed concern over statements by political actors that could further raise tensions and urged stakeholders to exercise restraint.
Itodo also raised concerns about the neutrality of security agencies during the election.
He said YIAGA Africa had met with the Inspector-General of Police, who assured the organisation that officers deployed for the election would remain professional and neutral.
“We trust him, we give him the benefit of doubt,” Itodo said, while urging officers at the operational level to uphold the directive.
Meanwhile, the Imole Campaign Council of Governor Ademola Adeleke alleged that the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Ebonyi State, Pauline Ugoyenka, was present in Osun despite not being listed among the RECs officially deployed to support the election.
In a statement by its Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee, Bamidele Salam, the council questioned the authority under which Ugoyenka was operating in Osun.
Salam, a member of the House of Representatives, alleged that Ugoyenka was an ICT expert and a close associate of Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma.
He cited an INEC letter dated August 3, 2026, which listed RECs from 15 contributing states, and said Ebonyi State was not included.
“So, who authorised Mrs Pauline Ugoyenka’s presence in Osun, and what exactly is she doing here?” the council asked.
The campaign council called on INEC to explain Ugoyenka’s role and publish the full list of officials deployed for the election.
INEC, however, said it had deployed 15 RECs to support the conduct of the election across the state.
The commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, said each supporting REC would supervise two local government areas.
Haruna said the deployment was a standard arrangement for off-cycle elections and by-elections.
“It’s a standard practice. Every election, except the general election, because that one, everybody is on his own,” he said.
He said INEC was fully prepared for Saturday’s election, with the reprinting of ballot papers among the final preparations.
The election will hold across Osun State’s 30 local government areas, with 2,339,233 registered voters expected to participate in 3,763 polling units.
Fifteen political parties are contesting the governorship election.
INEC has increased the number of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices from 4,427 used as a reference point in the 2022 election to 5,130 for Saturday’s poll. It has also provided 1,328 backup devices.
Haruna later disclosed that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards had been collected by registered voters, representing 81.50 per cent of the total registered voters in the state.
He said 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, remained uncollected and had been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria in line with the commission’s established procedure.
He added that 6,101 voters who applied for replacement of damaged, defaced or lost PVCs had printed downloadable copies.
As political parties make final preparations for Saturday’s election, security agencies and election observers have continued to call for restraint, warning that further violence could undermine voter participation and confidence in the electoral process.
