Political violence in Nigeria's Osun State has reached worrisome levels ahead of the governorship election scheduled for August 15th. According to figures cited on Channels Television, about 69 election-related incidents of violence have been recorded over a period of roughly six months, and 29 people have lost their lives in the pre-election season, with the poll itself not yet held. The scale of the bloodshed before a single vote has been cast has raised concern over how peaceful the exercise will be.
A spokesperson for the opposition African Democratic Congress governorship campaign council in the state described the situation as unfortunate, saying the tension has persisted for more than two months, ever since the electoral commission INEC announced the date for the election. He said the two main rival camps, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the opposition, have been at each other's throats to what he called an embarrassing level as the contest approaches.
According to his account, the violence began with the destruction of the parties' campaign boards and billboards, before escalating into direct attacks and shooting at each other, with innocent people caught up in the clashes. He said the last major flashpoint was the forceful and violent takeover of motor parks, and that the rival supporters had even been accusing one another of killing people in the run-up to the vote.
The spokesperson said the level of destruction had brought nothing but embarrassment, to the point that residents now brace themselves whenever they hear that either party is holding a rally or embarking on a campaign. He argued that such conduct was neither civilised nor helpful, and insisted it did nothing to serve the people of the state either now or for the coming generation.
In response to the turmoil, he said the opposition campaign council had chosen a different path, deciding against violence and instead consulting and engaging with residents. He said this process produced a documented ten-point agenda and manifesto covering areas such as education, agriculture, security and infrastructure, presented as the party's answer to the destruction being witnessed on the streets.
The campaign is also unfolding against the backdrop of a separate controversy over the freezing of the Osun State government account by the anti-graft agency EFCC, a move the President later moved to reverse after saying he felt compelled to intervene over the timing of the agency's action. With the governorship poll now only days away, attention has turned to whether the authorities can rein in the violence and deliver a credible election in a state already scarred by a mounting pre-election death toll.