“Osun Must Not Become Another Election Written in Blood.”
The Women In Politics Forum (WIPF) has expressed grave concern over the deteriorating security situation in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, warning that the escalating violence now threatens not only the credibility of the electoral process but also the constitutional rights and physical safety of thousands of women, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and elderly citizens expected to participate in the poll.
While elections should represent the highest expression of democratic choice, WIPF notes with deep concern that the atmosphere preceding the August 15 governorship election has increasingly been defined by killings, intimidation, violent clashes, political reprisals and widespread fear in several communities across the state.
More than 2.3 million registered voters are expected to decide the next governor from a field of fourteen candidates. Yet, despite women constituting a significant proportion of the electorate and serving as election officials, party agents, journalists, observers and civil society monitors, only one woman appears on the governorship ballot.
For WIPF, this underscores a troubling paradox in Nigeria’s democracy: women remain indispensable to the conduct of elections while continuing to be significantly underrepresented in elective leadership.
The organisation is particularly disturbed that independent election observers have identified thirteen of Osun’s thirty local government areas as high-risk flashpoints following weeks of politically motivated violence. Reports from election monitoring groups indicate that more than thirty persons—and by some estimates nearly forty—have already lost their lives in election-related incidents during the campaign period.
Recent violence in parts of Ilesa, alongside earlier attacks reported in Osogbo, Boripe, Obokun, Ife North, Ife Central, Irewole and other communities, demonstrates the extent to which political competition has degenerated into violent confrontation in several parts of the state.
Whether the exact casualty figure stands at thirty or forty is, in WIPF’s view, secondary to the more disturbing reality that citizens are losing their lives simply because an election is taking place.
Such violence undermines public confidence in democracy, suppresses voter participation and disproportionately affects those least able to protect themselves.
Women are often the first casualties of electoral violence—not only through direct attacks, harassment and intimidation, but also because insecurity discourages many from leaving their homes to vote. Female journalists, election officials, observers and party agents deployed to volatile areas face similar risks, while women voters remain particularly vulnerable to intimidation, coercion and other forms of gender-based electoral violence.
WIPF therefore stands in solidarity with the women of Osun State who recently marched peacefully to demand professionalism, impartiality and accountability from security agencies.
Their message—that every voter deserves equal protection regardless of political affiliation—reflects the very essence of constitutional democracy.
The organisation further notes that Osun’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, is the first woman to occupy that office in the state. At a time when election officials themselves have become targets of threats and intimidation, WIPF urges security agencies to provide adequate protection for the REC, electoral personnel and all officials responsible for administering the poll.
Beyond women, WIPF expresses particular concern for persons with disabilities and elderly citizens whose ability to participate safely may be significantly compromised by violence or disorder.
The organisation welcomes INEC’s commitment to deploy Braille ballot guides, magnifying glasses, large-print materials, assistive listening devices and priority voting arrangements for persons with disabilities, elderly voters, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
It also commends the directive issued by INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, emphasising priority treatment for elderly voters during accreditation and voting.
Similarly, WIPF acknowledges the constructive intervention by the Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities (JONAPWD), which has urged INEC to permit persons with disabilities to vote early so they may leave polling areas before security risks escalate.
These measures, however, will only inspire confidence if they are fully implemented at every polling unit.
Accessibility cannot remain a policy commitment on paper while vulnerable citizens encounter barriers on election day.
Indeed, electoral violence affects all citizens, but it imposes a far greater burden on those with limited mobility, visual or hearing impairments, age-related vulnerabilities and underlying health conditions. These are citizens who may be unable to flee violent confrontations, relocate to alternative polling units or withstand prolonged disruption caused by insecurity.
WIPF therefore welcomes the deployment of approximately 15,000 security personnel across Osun State and notes the assurances by the Nigeria Police Force that ballot snatching, voter intimidation, vote-buying and election-related violence will be met with swift enforcement of the law.
The organisation also welcomes the prohibition on unauthorised armed groups around polling and collation centres, as well as INEC’s collaboration with anti-corruption agencies to curb vote-buying and protect electoral integrity.
However, WIPF stresses that the effectiveness of these security arrangements will ultimately be judged not by the number of personnel deployed but by their professionalism, impartiality and respect for the rights of every voter.
The organisation reminds all security agencies that neutrality is not optional; it is a constitutional obligation.
Equally, political parties, candidates and their supporters must recognise that no electoral victory can justify the loss of human life or the intimidation of citizens exercising their democratic rights.
WIPF’s Call to Action
The Women In Politics Forum therefore calls on:
- Security agencies to provide visible, professional and impartial protection across all polling units, particularly within the thirteen local government areas identified as high-risk, while ensuring special protection for women, persons with disabilities, elderly voters, election officials, journalists and accredited observers.
- INEC to guarantee that every accessibility commitment announced before the election—including assistive devices, trained personnel and priority voting arrangements—is fully implemented at every polling unit.
- Political parties and candidates to publicly recommit themselves to peaceful conduct and to restrain supporters from violence, intimidation, hate speech and actions capable of undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
- Election observers and the media to document and promptly report incidents affecting women, persons with disabilities and elderly voters, ensuring that their experiences remain visible throughout the electoral process.
- Citizens, particularly women, persons with disabilities and elderly voters, to exercise their civic responsibility peacefully, utilise available priority voting arrangements and promptly report threats, intimidation or violence through official security and electoral complaint channels.
Democracy Must Never Demand Courage Simply to Vote
The integrity of the Osun governorship election will not be measured solely by who emerges victorious.
It will also be judged by whether every eligible citizen—particularly women, persons with disabilities and elderly voters—can exercise the right to vote freely, safely and with dignity.
No Nigerian should have to choose between participating in democracy and preserving their personal safety.
Women In Politics Forum remains committed to promoting inclusive political participation, defending democratic values and ensuring that elections strengthen rather than diminish the rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
