…Comrade James Onifade Urges Osun Electorate
As Osun prepares for the gubernatorial elections on 15 August 2026, every eligible voter has a clear duty: guard your ballot from the moment it is cast until the final result is declared. The opposition APC has already shown a pattern of dangerous tactics aimed at undermining the will of the people. The only effective response is organised resistance, constant monitoring, and an independent verification system that does not wait for INEC.
Why Monitoring Matters
Elections are decided not only by who turns out to vote, but by whether those votes are accurately recorded, transmitted, and collated. When agents of one party work systematically to alter results at polling units, during the transportation of materials, or at collation centres, the people’s choice can be stolen.
History has shown that silence and passive observation allow such practices to succeed. Speaking out immediately when irregularities appear is therefore not optional; it is the minimum requirement for a credible outcome.
Voters and party agents must remain alert for:
– Ballot-box stuffing or multiple voting
– Intimidation or obstruction of voters and agents
– Alteration of result sheets
– Refusal to display results at the polling unit
– Suspicious delays or diversion of materials
Any of these must be documented with photographs, videos, and written statements, and reported at once to party structures, observers, and relevant authorities. Delayed complaints lose force.
Waiting solely for INEC’s official announcement leaves the process vulnerable. It is advisable for Accord to establish a state-level collation centre that will operate in parallel. Accordingly, every polling-unit agent is to upload the official result sheet, Form EC8A or its equivalent, to the centre as soon as the unit count is completed and signed.
This parallel system serves three purposes:
1. It creates an independent record of the actual figures declared at each unit.
2. It allows real-time comparison with INEC’s announced totals.
3. It gives the party and the public an early, evidence-based picture of the true outcome before any official declaration can be manipulated.
Our Vote, Our Voice
August 15 is not just another election day. It is the day the people of Osun will speak with one voice and decide who will lead us for the next four years.
It is the day we will put a final end to political intimidation, threats, and the politics of fear.
Our vote is our power. From the polling unit, to the ward, to the local government, and to the state collation centre, we must monitor every result until the winner is officially announced. When we guard our votes, we guard our future.
When discrepancies appear, the uploaded unit results become the factual baseline for legal and public challenge. Without this structure, claims of rigging remain difficult to prove and easy to dismiss.
Giving the APC the highest level of resistance does not mean violence or illegality. It means disciplined, continuous pressure:
– Flood polling units with trained agents and observers.
– Insist on public display of results before materials leave the unit.
– Maintain the independent upload system throughout the day and night.
– Coordinate rapid legal and media response the moment irregularities are confirmed.
The electorate’s power is greatest when it is organised and refuses to look away.
Passive hope that “INEC will do the right thing” has repeatedly failed. Active defence of every ballot is the only reliable method.
On 15 August, the choice is straightforward. The citizens must monitor, document, upload, and challenge every irregularity, or they risk watching their votes rewritten. Accurately recorded results, independently verified at the state level by Accord agents, remain the strongest protection available.
Stay Vigilant. Speak Out. Make Every Vote Count.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and Judicial Reform
