OSUN ASSEMBLY RAISES CONCERN OVER 'SUDDEN REDEPLOYMENT' OF REC AHEAD OF 2026 POLL

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By ‘Sefiu Ajape

The Osun State House of Assembly has expressed concern over what it described as the “sudden redeployment” of the Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state, Mutiu Agboke.

Agboke, in a statement, announced his redeployment to Ondo State and thanked journalists in Osun for their support during his tenure.

The transfer was personally disclosed by Agboke in a message shared on the official INEC Osun media WhatsApp group late Wednesday.

The statement read in part, “I have been transferred to Ondo State. I thank you most sincerely for the support given to me throughout my stay here in Osun State. May God Almighty support you all as well.”

The development comes as preparations intensify for the 2026 Osun governorship election.

Speaking with journalists in Osogbo on Thursday, the Speaker of the House, Adewale Egbedun, said the parliament had also learnt that “further deployments of interested persons are being planned and may extend to other key officials, including the Administrative Secretary, Electoral Officers, Assistant Electoral Officers, and ICT personnel across the state.”

Egbedun alleged “a deliberate pattern of actions aimed at influencing the electoral process in Osun State,” noting that Ekiti State, which is scheduled to hold its governorship election before Osun, has not experienced “such widespread deployment of electoral officials.”

“This raises serious and legitimate questions. Why Osun State?” he asked.

He maintained that no level of administrative changes or redeployments would override the will of the electorate.

“These calculated efforts, no matter how structured, cannot alter the resolve of our people. The people of Osun State are politically conscious, vigilant, and determined to ensure that their votes count and reflect their true choice,” he said.

The Speaker further alleged plans in parts of the state, particularly within the Ife/Ijesa Senatorial District, to compromise the electoral process through the use of members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in sensitive roles such as returning officers and supervisors.

“This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We are placing the public on notice.

“Let it be made absolutely clear that whoever is deployed to conduct elections in Osun State must do so in strict accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral Act. The election must be free, fair, and credible. Anything short of this will be firmly resisted by the people of Osun State,” he said.

Egbedun also called on the international community, development partners, and election observers to monitor developments surrounding the Osun governorship poll.

He added that the parliament, as representatives of the people, would insist on a free, fair, and credible election.

Voters in Osun State are expected to go to the polls on August 15 to elect a governor in what observers describe as a high-stakes contest.

The incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party, while Bola Oyebamiji, a former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, is contesting on the platform of the All Progressives Congress.

Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress is also in the race, alongside candidates from 11 other political parties.