Osun 2026: Tension Mounts as INEC Moves Materials to All 11 Wards in Irepodun

Tension and anticipation heightened in Irepodun Local Government Area of Osun State on Friday as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) received and distributed sensitive and non-sensitive materials ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The INEC office in Ilobu became a hive of activity as party agents, election observers, ad-hoc personnel and security operatives gathered to monitor the distribution of materials to the 11 wards in the local government.

The sensitive materials, including ballot papers, result sheets and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, were transported under heavy security from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Osogbo, to the Ilobu INEC office.

At the office, the materials were sorted and prepared for onward deployment to the various Registration Areas.

Ad-hoc personnel, including Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs), Registration Area Technical Support officials and Polling Unit officers, were also seen checking their names on the deployment list and collecting deployment letters and other election materials.

Security operatives from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) and Amotekun were deployed to the area.

Despite the heavy presence of security personnel, the exercise was largely peaceful, with no security breach recorded during the distribution.

Attempts to obtain comments from the Electoral Officer, Mr Fatai Aremu Adebayo, were unsuccessful, as he was reportedly busy supervising the deployment of materials.

INEC officials, however, confirmed that all 148 polling units in Irepodun Local Government Area had been mapped and that election materials had been dispatched to the 11 wards.

The Police officer in charge of the Ilobu Division also assured residents that adequate security arrangements had been made for the polling units and collation centres across the local government.

Meanwhile, community leaders in Ilobu appealed to voters to conduct themselves peacefully, exercise their civic rights and return home after voting to prevent unnecessary confrontation or a breakdown of law and order.

Voting in Irepodun LGA is expected to commence at 8:00am on Saturday, August 15, 2026.

Reporting from Irepodun LGA, Ilobu, for #OsunDecides2026.