OSUN State Governor Ademola Adeleke has cast his vote at his polling unit in Ede North as voters elect the next governor of the state today, Saturday, August 15.
Large turnout of voters was recorded in parts of the state amid reports of delays and technical glitches with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
The ICIR reporter in the state said that Adeleke, the Accord Party candidate, arrived at Polling Unit 009, Ward 02, Agbogunde/Sagba, at about 8:30 a.m. and joined other voters to cast his ballot in the keenly contested poll.
However, shortly after casting his ballot, Adeleke raised an alarm, alleging that some security personnel were interfering with the voting process and called on the Inspector-General of Police and other security agencies to ensure neutrality.
“We don’t want violence in Osun. All we want is free and fair election, so that people can exercise their civic duty,” Adeleke said.
The governor claimed he had received information about a police officer allegedly deployed from Port Harcourt to disrupt voting in Ede. He appealed to the IGP and security agencies to investigate the allegation and prevent violence.
He also alleged that voters in Modakeke and Obaku were being tear-gassed by police personnel in an attempt to force them away from polling units.
The governor further accused the APC of attempting to rig the election and alleged that fake ballot papers had been printed, as he expressed confidence that he would win the election.
“I have God on my side, and I have my people on my side. I will win this,” he said.
Meanwhile, at Adeleke’s polling unit, voting was not without complaints, Afusat Ahmed, 85, told The ICIR that she arrived at the polling unit as early as 6 a.m. but was still waiting to be attended to after 9am.
Another voter, Hamzat Akanbi Olamilekan, said he had yet to vote because INEC officials had not attended to him.
Adeleke’s polling unit also recorded a reported BVAS glitch, adding to concerns about the efficiency of the accreditation process.
The ICIR reports that INEC had deployed 4,427 BVAS devices for the Osun election as part of measures to strengthen voter accreditation and safeguard the process.
At Polling Unit 009, OlohunGbele, Ward 003, Jagun Jagun, voters also turned out early.
However, tension reportedly emerged after one of the major parties’ supporters allegedly asked voters to show them who they had voted for after casting their ballots.
At another polling location, Adebunmi Mashood, an elderly voter living with disability, told The ICIR after voting that he was pleased to participate in the election.
Meanwhile, Munir Alimi Akintunde, 66, a resident of Ede South, expressed disappointment over his inability to obtain his Permanent Voter’s Card and appealed to voters and political actors to maintain peace throughout the election.
Across several parts of Osun, voters arrived early at polling units, with some residents reaching voting centres before electoral officials.
Voters were seen as early as 6:45 a.m. in parts of Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Ede North, Boripe and Osogbo. In some locations, however, voters were still waiting for officials and materials before accreditation could begin.
The 2026 contest has attracted considerable attention, with Adeleke seeking another term and Bola Oyebamiji contesting on the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) platform.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.