Political actors participating in the August 15 Osun State governorship election must exercise restraint and avoid actions capable of triggering violence, a former Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG Abutu Yaro (retd.), has advised.
Yaro made the call on Monday in Abuja at the public presentation of Kimpact Development Initiative’s pre-election security risk assessment of Osun State, which identified 12 local government areas as high-risk ahead of the poll.
He said political actors remained central to the prevention of election-related insecurity, stressing that security challenges during elections were often fuelled by political interests.
“Insecurity does not create itself, it is created by political actors, funded by them, sponsored by them, navigated by them, and designed for their preferred outcome,” he said.
According to him, security agencies could only do so much if politicians refused to abide by the rules and exercise patriotism during the electoral process.
“So no matter how prepared the security forces are, in my view, if the political actors do not exercise restraint, do not exercise patriotism, do not play to the rules, certainly, insecurity will thrive,” he said.
Yaro also called for adequate and timely provision of election logistics, including vehicles, welfare for election officials, Permanent Voter Cards, electronic gadgets and other materials required for the smooth conduct of the poll.
He warned that delays in the deployment of election materials could provoke public anger and create an environment conducive to violence.
“A situation whereby people stay in the rain, in the sun, for three or four hours without the arrival of voting materials or without the arrival of EC8A, which is the most cardinal instrument of election, certainly public anger will be provoked and many things will go outside control,” Yaro said.
The former police chief further urged journalists and social media users to avoid disseminating unverified information during the election, describing misinformation as a major security threat.
“Unverified reports and slanderous use of media space for the purpose of election outcome is the greatest security threat to our system,” Yaro said.
He advised members of the public to rely on information from official sources, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission and the police, in order to prevent the escalation of tension.
The Executive Director of Kimpact Development Initiative, Bukola Idowu, on his part said the organisation’s assessment identified 12 local government areas in Osun as high-risk areas requiring both operational security measures and political intervention.
Idowu said the assessment examined electoral pressures, potential risk scenarios and strategic mitigation priorities ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
“One of the things we have seen is that we have identified about 12 local governments that are of high risk, that need both operational security and political intervention so that we can have a peaceful election in those local governments,” he said.
He identified inadequate preparedness, particularly in logistics and the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, as among the factors that could undermine the election.
Idowu also expressed concern over the neutrality and professionalism of security agencies, noting that the conduct of security personnel could itself become a potential trigger for violence.
He said the assessment also identified the strategic use of violence to suppress voter participation as a major concern.
“And we highlighted that in that report, that the violence is not about violence alone. It’s strategic in terms of to suppress vote in some areas,” he said.
Idowu noted that Osun’s voter turnout had remained relatively low in previous elections, saying violence and fear could further discourage voters from participating in the August 15 poll.
He added that the Osun election as significant ahead of the 2027 general elections, saying the conduct of stakeholders would provide an indication of the country’s preparedness for the next general election.
“I think the last voter turnout of Osun was 43%. And you can imagine that Osun has been between 45, 50 and 43% in the last election and it would be good to have an increase in turnout.
“For instance, this will be the first time in a competitive election that the electoral act that President Tinubu signed into law will be used and enforced,” Idowu said.
He said issues around margin of lead, results management, electronic transmission of results and subsequent election petitions would be closely watched during the poll.
He urged election managers, security agencies, political parties and other stakeholders to take measures to mitigate identified risks and ensure that the Osun election is peaceful and credible.