OSOGBO — Voting in the 2026 Osun State governorship election commenced on Saturday in a generally peaceful atmosphere, with early turnout recorded in several parts of the state and security personnel deployed around polling units.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported from Osogbo, Ede, Ilesa, Ejigbo and Boripe Local Government Areas that voters began arriving at polling centres well before the scheduled commencement of accreditation and voting.
In Ilesa East and Ilesa West, some voters were seen at polling units as early as 6:45 a.m., checking their names on voter registers displayed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
At Ward D1, Unit 8 in Ilesa West, electoral officials were already on ground before 7 a.m., while voters waited for accreditation to commence.
Similar scenes were recorded at Ward 8, Unit 3, where a large number of voters gathered ahead of the exercise.
An Assistant Presiding Officer at the unit, Mr Cestus Akilolu, told voters that accreditation and voting would begin at 8:30 a.m. and urged them to remain orderly throughout the process.
Early turnout was also recorded in Ede, the hometown of incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Accord Party.
Residents were seen heading to polling units from about 6:30 a.m., while vehicles conveyed voters and some National Youth Service Corps members to various locations ahead of voting.
Security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were stationed at strategic points across Ede North and Ede South, enforcing the restriction on vehicular movement and maintaining security around voting centres.
Some election observers were also seen at polling units monitoring preparations for accreditation.
Among the polling units visited in Ede were Sagba Agbogunde Ward 2, Unit 9; Adogbe Ward 3, Unit 5; CAC Ward 4, Unit 2; Orita Alajue Ward 5, Unit 1; Obalaoye Unit 5, Ward 2; and Agip Ward 2, Unit 3.
While accreditation had commenced in some locations, electoral officials were still completing preparations in others.
In Osogbo, voters also arrived early at polling units, including Ward 4, Unit 13, where some electorate had gathered from about 6:50 a.m. awaiting electoral officials and materials.
At Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government Area, voters were similarly observed waiting for INEC officials at Ward 3, Unit 16.
The election also got underway peacefully in Ejigbo Local Government Area, particularly at Moyofade Ward 14, where turnout was described as moderate during the early hours.
Voters began arriving from about 8 a.m., while INEC ad hoc personnel prepared for accreditation and voting.
The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices were reported to be functioning properly at polling units visited, while voters checked their names on displayed registers.
Security personnel were also deployed around the ward, with no major incident reported as voting continued.
Some party agents and voters in Ejigbo expressed optimism that turnout would increase as the exercise progressed.
Meanwhile, an 85-year-old voter, Mrs Bisi Alaraoye, turned out at Sagba Agbogunde Ward 2, Unit 9 in Ede, where she urged residents, particularly elderly voters, to exercise their civic rights.
Alaraoye, who expressed support for Adeleke, said she believed the governor’s performance in office would earn him another term.
She nevertheless urged voters to remain peaceful and called on residents to accept the eventual outcome of the election irrespective of the winner.
The octogenarian also commended INEC and security agencies for their preparations and urged them to sustain the peaceful atmosphere through voting, counting and collation of results.
Across the areas monitored during the early hours of the election, a heavy security presence was noticeable, while the exercise remained largely calm without reports of serious disruption.
More than 1.9 million voters who collected their Permanent Voter Cards are eligible to participate in the election to determine who governs Osun State for the next four years.