RismadarVoice Reporters, August 11, 2026
Sensitive election materials have arrived in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, while the Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed plans to draw ad-hoc personnel from a pool of more than 30,000 National Youth Service Corps members.
The development comes as security agencies intensify preparations for the August 15 poll, with at least 25,310 personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission expected to participate in election security operations across the state.
INEC Chief Press Secretary to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, disclosed the planned deployment of NYSC members while providing an update on the commission’s preparations.
According to him, the commission would not disclose the exact number of ad-hoc personnel to be deployed but would select them from the pool of over 30,000 NYSC members available for the election.
“For number of ad-hoc staff, INEC will be pulling from a pool of over 30,000 NYSC members that we’re working with for the election,” Oketola said.
He also disclosed that Osun has 2,339,233 registered voters, although he could not provide the latest number of Permanent Voter Cards collected following the extension of the PVC collection exercise.
Oketola said sensitive materials, including ballot papers and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, were already in Osun and securely warehoused at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He explained that the commission would begin moving non-sensitive materials to local government areas and Registration Area Centres on Thursday, while sensitive materials would be moved from the CBN to local government offices on Friday.
According to him, the arrangement is designed to ensure that electoral officials, ad-hoc staff, security personnel and materials reach their designated locations before voting begins at 8:30am on Saturday.
Oketola stressed that INEC would not disclose the exact timing of the movement of sensitive materials for security reasons, noting that doing so could expose the materials and personnel to possible attacks.
He added that generators, water tanks, vehicles and other logistical equipment were also being deployed as part of the commission’s preparations.
Security agencies have also stepped up preparations, with about 25,310 personnel expected to be deployed across Osun State.
The figure comprises 15,000 police officers, 10,210 NSCDC personnel and approximately 100 EFCC officers.
The NSCDC Commandant-General, Prof. Abubakar Audi, ordered the deployment of 10,000 personnel from neighbouring state commands to reinforce security operations in Osun.
The personnel are being drawn from Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Lagos, Kwara, Edo, Kogi, Delta and the Federal Capital Territory commands.
The additional personnel will complement existing NSCDC officers in the state and cover the 30 local government areas, polling units, electoral officials, observers, journalists and residents.
NSCDC spokesman, Afolabi Babawale, said specialised units, including intelligence, tactical, female, K9 and strike teams, had also been deployed.
He said the units would focus on intelligence gathering, crime prevention, crowd control, protection of critical infrastructure and other election-related responsibilities.
Audi urged the deployed personnel to remain professional, neutral and respectful of citizens’ rights throughout the election.
He warned political thugs and other individuals planning to disrupt the election that they would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Nigeria Police Force had earlier announced the deployment of 15,000 personnel to Osun, while the EFCC is expected to deploy about 100 officers to tackle vote buying and other forms of electoral inducement.
Armed military personnel have also taken up security duties at the Osun State headquarters of INEC in Osogbo ahead of the election.
Reports indicate that soldiers arrived at the facility on Sunday, with their numbers increasing on Monday. About three Armoured Personnel Carriers were also reportedly deployed around the premises.
The military deployment supplements the security presence of the police and NSCDC, which had previously been responsible for security at the commission’s headquarters.
A security source said additional police and civil defence personnel were expected to join the military presence as the election approaches.
Meanwhile, the Osun State INEC Public Relations Officer, Musa Olurode, said the commission was fully prepared for Saturday’s election.
He noted that 12 of the 13 activities on INEC’s election timetable had been completed, with Election Day remaining as the final activity.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council has urged political parties, candidates and their supporters to avoid actions or statements capable of increasing tension ahead of the election.
IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Dantalle, made the call after the council’s General Assembly meeting in Abuja on Monday.
Dantalle urged INEC to conduct the election professionally, independently and transparently while ensuring equal treatment of all political parties and candidates.
He also called for the prompt resolution of complaints, transparent accreditation and voting, timely distribution of electoral materials and accurate collation of results.
On security, the IPAC chairman urged security personnel to operate within their constitutional and statutory responsibilities while protecting voters, candidates, party agents, electoral officials and election materials without discrimination.
He condemned vote buying, electoral violence and alleged attempts to use state institutions to intimidate political opponents.
Dantalle also criticised the freezing of Osun State Government accounts by the EFCC, describing the action as politically motivated and warning that it could affect the delivery of essential public services.
He appealed to all candidates and political parties to embrace peaceful competition and resolve disputes through lawful means.
The Osun governorship election is scheduled for August 15, 2026, with 14 political parties participating in the contest.
Among the major contenders are the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party; the All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Oyebamiji; and the African Democratic Congress candidate, Najeem Salam.
