The general preparations by relevant stakeholders (political parties, religious and traditional institutions, CSOs, law enforcement agencies, INEC, etc) for the Osun State Governorship Election 2022 came to an end on the evening of Friday, July 15, 2022.
Political parties campaigned vigorously but not without the usual bile associated with Nigerian elections. The hallmark of events leading to the elections of Saturday July 16, 2022 being the signing of the Peace Accord by all participating political parties.
The General Pre-Election Atmosphere
The general pre-election atmosphere was charged with hate speech and banters, pockets of incidences of politically motivated violence, and campaigns of calumny, which generated fear in many quarters, especially amongst the electorate. The ruling APC and its agents compelled civil servants to be involved in their political campaigns through threats and even deducted various sums of money from their pay as contributions for campaign materials.
A section of the electorate generally expressed fears with the outcome of elections and the possibility of a free, fair, and credible election. This might hinder or limit participation by those who expressed fear and felt unsafe and some expressly said they were not going to come out to vote because thugs and fake security personnel had been imported into the state to cause mayhem or inflict injury on electorates who intend to vote against the ruling APC.
Lastly, it was observed that opposition political parties were not given access to state facilities for use as venues for campaigns. The act of state governments denying access to state facilities like stadiums, events halls, etc owned by state governments to opposition political parties must be discouraged since such properties belong to the state and therefore should be used by all parties and not only the political party in government and/or power.
Conclusion
Security is a major concern for many electorates in the July 16, 2022, Osun State Governorship elections going by incidences of pre-elections violence already recorded and this has created fear in the minds of voters. The rumoured arrest of the head of the NURTW in the state capital Osogbo by the military also heightened the fear that thugs are going to be used to distort, disrupt, maim, and possibly kill voters during the course of the governorship elections.
Voters also have fears that the elections are going to be rigged and there is trust deficit by voters of INEC’s ability and/or preparedness to conduct free, fair, and credible elections in the Osun State 2022 Governorship Elections. INEC has a duty to step up and/or intensify voter education in this regards by assuring voters that the new Electoral Act 2022 makes it almost impossible for politicians to rig elections going forward.
Being part of Feature Report by Sir Mark Asu-Obi in Oshogbo
