KDI warns rising electoral violence poses threat to Osun governorship election
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
A democracy advocacy group, Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), has warned that the rising wave of electoral violence in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election is a serious early warning signal that requires urgent intervention.
Speaking at a press conference in Osogbo on Thursday, KDI Executive Director, Bukola Idowu, said the organisation’s pre-election observation and violence monitoring activities revealed a disturbing escalation in election-related violence across the state.
According to him, 26 of the 44 verified election-related violent incidents recorded between October 2025 and June 2026 occurred in May and June alone, representing 59.1 per cent of all incidents documented during the period.
Idowu said the incidents resulted in 13 deaths, multiple injuries, destruction of property and increased fear among residents. He noted that the cases involved shootings, physical assaults, verbal threats, crowd intimidation and violent confrontations in politically sensitive areas.
He added that KDI also documented 24 non-election-related violent incidents within the same period, which resulted in 23 fatalities, highlighting broader security concerns in the state.
“KDI’s Election Security Risk Assessment (ESRA) analysis further shows that violence and insecurity in the state are manifesting through targeted property damage, shootings, physical assaults, verbal threats, localised crowd intimidation and violent confrontations around politically sensitive areas,” he said.
He identified Osogbo Local Government Area, particularly Olaiya, Oke Fia and Aregbe, as recording the highest concentration of election-related violence, while noting that a 14-year-old boy, Ezekiel Olapade, was reportedly killed during a violent incident in Ijobu, Irepodun Local Government Area, on Sunday.
Idowu urged political parties, candidates, security agencies, INEC, traditional and religious leaders, the media and citizens to work together to de-escalate tensions, promote peaceful participation and protect the integrity of the electoral process ahead of the governorship election.
