Vote-Buying War: APC, Accord Locked in N20,000-Per-Vote Contest as Osun Votes.
By Bala Salihu Dawakin Kudu
Democracy Newsline Northern Bureau Chief
August 15, 2026.
OSOGBO — The governorship election in Osun State entered a decisive phase on Saturday amid allegations of widespread vote-buying, sporadic violence, arrests, technical challenges involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and a heavy security presence across the state.
The contest, which pits incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party against All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji, African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate Najeem Salaam and other contenders, is being conducted across Osun’s 30 local government areas.
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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) put the number of registered voters at 2,339,233, with 1,906,391 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected. The electorate is spread across 332 wards and 3,763 polling units.
As of early afternoon on Saturday, voting was still underway in many parts of the state and no official winner had been declared.
Vote-buying allegations dominate final hours
The most serious allegation hanging over the election is the reported deployment of money, food items and other inducements by supporters of the two leading parties.
Investigations by Democracy Newsline before the election indicated that APC and Accord agents allegedly offered voters between N10,000 and N20,000, with the amount varying from one local government or polling area to another.
Some voters also alleged that party agents collected their bank account details before election day, promising to transfer money after they had voted. These allegations could not be independently established in every location and should not be interpreted as proof against either party without investigation by the relevant authorities.
Reports from Ilesa, Ede, Iwo, Ile-Ife, Ikire, Ila, Aiyedire and other parts of the state suggested that cash and food items were distributed in the days preceding the election.
In Ilesa, residents alleged that APC agents offered as much as N20,000 per voter in parts of Ilesa East, Ilesa West and Atakunmosa East, while Accord was reported to have offered about N10,000 in some areas.
In Osogbo, APC agents were alleged to have distributed N15,000 to selected voters, while reports from Ede indicated that both camps were mobilising voters with cash and food items.
The competing allegations are consistent with wider concerns raised before the election by civil society groups and INEC over the growing influence of vote-buying on Nigerian elections. CISLAC, for example, warned that vote-buying, violence and intimidation could undermine the credibility of the Osun poll.
Violence breaks out at ADC candidate’s polling unit
Although voting has proceeded peacefully in many communities, isolated incidents have raised fresh concerns.
Channels Television reported that voting was disrupted at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, Ejigbo, after violence reportedly erupted following allegations concerning vote-buying materials. INEC officials and voters reportedly fled the scene.
The incident occurred at the polling unit of ADC governorship candidate Najeem Salaam. Earlier, Salaam had also complained about alleged denial of accreditation to some of his party agents.
The reports underscore the delicate security situation surrounding the election, even as observers in other parts of the state described the exercise as largely peaceful.
Domestic observers monitoring Ede, according to Democracy Newsline and NAN reports, commended the orderly conduct of voting in several polling units and the presence of security personnel.
In one of the major security developments of the day, the Osun State Police Command said it arrested Accord lawmaker Abiola Inaolaji, representing Irewole/Isokan State Constituency, during a security operation in Ikire.
The police also reported the arrest of 146 suspected political thugs. According to a report carried by THISDAY, the arrests were connected with efforts to prevent activities capable of undermining the electoral process. A video cited by NAN also showed a man identifying himself as Ibrahim and claiming to have facilitated the movement of the 146 suspects into Osun from neighbouring states. The allegations remain subject to investigation.
The development is particularly significant because Ikire is the hometown of APC governorship candidate Bola Oyebamiji and one of the areas regarded as strategically important in the contest.
The election has also recorded isolated technical and logistical difficulties.
Channels Television reported delays involving BVAS at some polling units, including a unit in Ijebu-Ijesa, while other reports indicated that accreditation was delayed at a polling unit in Ile-Ife after the venue was initially found locked.
However, the challenges have not been uniform. The APC deputy governorship candidate, Kayode Adereti, described the BVAS process at his polling unit in Ife Central as smooth, while observers in Ede also reported orderly voting at several locations.
The mixed reports mean that the performance of BVAS and the effectiveness of INEC’s procedures will remain an important issue when observers assess the credibility of the election.
Adeleke, Oyebamiji cast ballots
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in his home area of Ede earlier in the morning, while APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji cast his ballot in Ikire.
Oyebamiji, who arrived at his polling unit at about 10:45 a.m., expressed confidence that he would win the election and commended the turnout of voters.
Adeleke’s camp also expressed confidence in its chances, with supporters urging voters to come out and exercise their franchise.
The ADC candidate, Najeem Salaam, also voted in Ejigbo before reports emerged of the disruption at his polling unit.
Heavy security presence across Osun
Security agencies have maintained a strong presence across the state, particularly in areas considered politically sensitive or prone to violence.
The police imposed a 42-hour restriction on movement, beginning at midnight on Friday and scheduled to end at 6 p.m. on Saturday, as part of measures to secure the election.
Security personnel were observed at checkpoints, major roads and polling locations, while patrols were intensified in several communities.
The heightened security follows weeks of political tension and allegations of attacks by rival supporters.
A pre-election security assessment by the Kimpact Development Initiative had documented 73 election-related violent incidents and 29 deaths ahead of the poll, with Osogbo identified as the worst-hit area.
The figure differs from higher casualty figures cited by some political actors and campaign organisations. Consequently, claims concerning the exact number of deaths should be treated cautiously until independently reconciled by security agencies and credible monitors.
Large turnout raises stakes
Despite fears of intimidation, reports from several parts of Osun indicate a significant turnout of voters.
Voters began arriving at polling units early in the morning in Ede, Ikire, Ilesa, Ejigbo and other communities. In some locations, long queues formed before accreditation began.
Observers monitoring Ede described the process in the areas they visited as peaceful and orderly, while urging political actors to accept the eventual outcome in good faith.
The turnout could prove decisive in a contest widely regarded as a two-horse race between Adeleke and Oyebamiji, although Salaam and other candidates remain in the field.
Historical turnout figures underline the importance of voter mobilisation. According to data cited by TVC from YIAGA Africa, turnout in Osun governorship elections fell from 53.3 per cent in 2014 to 45.6 per cent in 2018 and 42.2 per cent in 2022. The turnout for today’s election will therefore be closely watched.
Beyond who wins the governorship, today’s election is increasingly being viewed as a test of Nigeria’s ability to conduct credible off-cycle elections ahead of the 2027 general elections.
President Bola Tinubu had urged INEC and security agencies to ensure that the election was peaceful and transparent, while calling on Osun voters to vote without fear.
Civil society organisations have similarly urged voters to resist intimidation and political inducement.
The central challenge now is whether the ballot cast by each voter will remain secret and whether the final result will reflect the genuine choice of the electorate.
The allegations of N10,000, N15,000 and N20,000 payments, reports of oath-taking, claims of political thuggery and the movement of alleged “imported” voters have placed the integrity of the election under intense scrutiny.
For INEC and the security agencies, the responsibility is not merely to conduct voting but to ensure that voters are able to make their choices freely and that the collation process is protected from interference.
As voting continues across Osun, the political battle between Adeleke and Oyebamiji remains too close to call from the field reports alone. There is, as of the time of filing this update, no official result capable of establishing a winner.
The final verdict will come only after votes are counted at the polling units, collated through the prescribed electoral channels and formally declared by INEC.
For now, Osun has voted. The next battle is over the integrity of the count.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER 15TH AUGUST, 2026)
