Osun Election: APC, Accord Claim 18 Members Killed as Security Deployment Sparks Debate

Six days before the August 15 Osun governorship election, political tension has intensified following claims by the APC and Accord Party that 18 of their members have been killed in election-related violence.

The alleged deaths — 10 claimed by the APC and eight by Accord — have renewed concerns over the possibility of further violence before, during and after the election.

The figures are higher than those contained in a report by Kimpact Development Initiative, which said 44 election-related violent incidents and 13 fatalities were recorded in Osun between October 2025 and June 2026.

The 18 deaths claimed by the two political parties have not been independently verified as a single death toll.

Series of attacks fuel concerns

The election build-up has witnessed a series of violent incidents across Osun, including attacks on party supporters and campaign convoys, shootings and alleged assassination attempts.

In May, Accord member Kolade Eluyera was killed in Irewole Local Government Area. Accord blamed alleged APC supporters, while the APC rejected the allegation.

On June 3, the Accord chairman in Osogbo Local Government, Asimiyu Ajibola, was shot by gunmen and hospitalised.

Another Accord supporter, Ajayi Rogba, was later killed in Esa-Oke during a period of heightened political activities.

The incidents have generated accusations between the rival parties, with both sides denying responsibility for attacks attributed to them.

Campaign activities in Ede, Osogbo and other communities have also reportedly been disrupted by clashes, shootings and attacks on campaign convoys.

APC alleges 10 members killed

The APC campaign council said at least 10 of its members had been killed since the commencement of the campaign.

Kehinde Ayantunji, who spoke on behalf of the campaign council chairman, said the alleged killings occurred in Ilesa, Iwo, Osogbo, Ijebu-Jesa and other communities.

He said: “Since the beginning of this campaign, they have killed nothing less than 10 members of our party in Ilesa, Iwo, Osogbo, Ijebu-Jesa and some other communities. It is unfortunate that human life is involved and there is no election that is worth the life of any human being.”

Ayantunji said the APC was less concerned about the number of policemen deployed than their professionalism and ability to protect voters and electoral materials.

He said: “Most important thing is not about number, it’s about the professional conduct of the Police, capacity to protect the people’s vote, we are interested in free, fair and credible election…”

He also urged the police to deploy adequate personnel, equipment, strategy and logistics to ensure that every vote counts across the 3,761 polling units in the state.

Accord claims eight deaths

Accord Party’s Media Director, Oladele Bamiji, said his party had also lost eight members since the beginning of the campaign.

Bamiji said killings had occurred in Oriade, Ijebu-Jesha, Ilobu, Ikire and Osogbo.

He said: “The Accord party has lost about eight people to violence since since the commencement of this campaign. We have seen killings in Oriade, Ijebu-Jesha, Ilobu, Ikire to be precise and even in Osogbo.”

Describing the situation as “disheartening” and “frightening”, Bamiji said the level of violence was unacceptable.

He also questioned whether the deployment of 15,000 policemen was sufficient, given the number of polling units across the state.

“I still don’t know the mathematical arrangement, we have very close to 4000 polling units in Osun State and we have four or five officers per polling units. To me, it is not so big, it is even inadequate,” he said.

15,000 policemen deployed

The deployment of 15,000 police officers has become one of the major talking points ahead of the election.

While political parties have largely welcomed the security presence, they differ on whether the number is sufficient.

The Osun Masterminds, a coalition of civil society organisations, opposed the deployment, arguing that it could amount to militarisation.

Its spokesperson, Ayo Ologunde, said: “The deployment of 15,000 Police men for gubernatorial election in Osun signifies militarisation, the State and the Nation as a whole should have grown to a level where election should not be seen as war…”

He warned that a heavy police presence could create fear among citizens, encourage voter apathy and potentially leave neighbouring states with fewer security personnel.

Ologunde added: “Voting is a process of electing leaders, not a process of militarisation or to create undue fear.”

Group says more security needed

Dialogue 365 took the opposite position, arguing that the police deployment was necessary given the killings recorded during the campaign.

Its Convener, Saka Waheed, said: “We demanded for protection, now we are having it. We cannot call it militarisation, the incessant killing in the past months show that if there is no enough security, there may be further killings on election day…”

Waheed said the number could even be increased if necessary to guarantee the safety of voters.

“Let us have more than that, as long as our people will be secured that’s being proactive there can even be up to 50,000,” he said.

Ex-lawmaker backs security presence

Former chairman of the House of Assembly Committee on Information, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, also backed the deployment.

He said the decision could have been informed by intelligence available to the Federal Government.

Oyintiloye said: “The country faces security challenges, and the heavy deployment of security personnel to Osun State may be driven by intelligence available to the Federal Government.”

According to him, heavy security deployment during elections is not unusual and should not necessarily be a cause for alarm.

However, he acknowledged concerns over extrajudicial killings and urged security agencies to act decisively while government intensifies public sensitisation.

Fear of reprisal attacks

With only six days to the election, the major concern is whether the heightened political tension will translate into further violence.

The competing claims by APC and Accord over the deaths of their members have fuelled fears of possible reprisals, particularly in areas already identified as political flashpoints.

Stakeholders have consequently called on the parties and their supporters to exercise restraint.

They also urged security agencies to ensure that the deployment of 15,000 policemen serves its primary purpose — protecting voters, electoral officials and the integrity of the August 15 election — rather than creating fear or intimidating the electorate.

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