Ahead of the August 15 governorship election in Osun state, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to maintain it’s neutrality and allow the people to chose who will lead them in the state a

The Ooni gave the charge as he received the INEC chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, and his entourage on a courtesy visit at his palace at Ile – Ife  on Tuesday 

The INEC chairman, who led the National Commissioners and some heads of departments of the commission, appealed for the support of traditional rulers in ensuring a peaceful, credible and violence-free governorship election in Osun State in August.

He expressed concern over the political atmosphere in the state, urging traditional rulers to appeal to politicians and political parties to conduct issue-based campaigns devoid of rancour and violence.

“The blood of Nigerians is not worth the ambition of any politician,” Amupitan said.

Amupitan said the visit was to formally notify the Ooni of the forthcoming governorship election and to seek royal prayers and blessings ahead of what he described as one of Nigeria’s most significant off-cycle elections.

He said, “Sir the visit is to formally announce to you that the Osun governorship election is coming up on Saturday, August 15, 2026,”

The INEC chairman also called for proper verification of information to prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation, warning that false information could fuel unnecessary violence before, during and after the election.

Amupitan said restoring public confidence in the electoral body remained one of his priorities, stressing that the commission was committed to conducting elections that were credible, free, fair and transparent.

“We have decided that one of the ways we can build trust is to ensure that elections must be credible, free, fair and transparent,” he stated.

The INEC chairman also announced that the 2027 general elections would commence with the presidential and National Assembly polls on January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections would be held on February 6, 2027.

He promised that the Osun governorship election  it would serve as a mirror for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, and therefore urged traditional rulers to work towards ensuring that the election was peaceful, commenced on schedule and had a timely declaration of results.

In his response, the Ooni noted that traditional rulers in Osun have remained above partisan politics despite growing political tension in the state.

He therefore urged INEC to remain impartial and allow the electorate to freely choose their preferred candidates, while commending President Bola Tinubu for strengthening the commission’s independence.

“The traditional rulers have resolved to tell politicians the truth and encourage them to do what is fair and right because the political tension is becoming unbearable and worrisome

“You must do what is right, just and fair,” Oba Enitan Ogunwusi charged

By Nkem Okereh 

As the federal government puts finishing touches to the creation of State Police, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) has thrown its weight and support for the establishment of state police, even as it makes case for the practice of a true federalism in the country 

The forum, while expressing its support for state police, emphasised thatsuch arrangement must reflect the principles of true federalism rather than what it described as a “federal-controlled state police.”

SMBLF further declared  that Nigeria’s presidency should remain in the South after the 2027 general elections, stressing the need to promote national unity and political stability

Thee forum took the resolutions at the end of its   general meeting held on Tuesday at the Abuja liaison office of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).

Present at the meeting included delegates from Afenifere, the Middle Belt Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and PANDEF.

Among those in attendance were former Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Victor Attah, former Enugu State Governor Okwesilieze Nwodo, Ambassador Godknows Igali, Dr. Bitrus Pogu and former Lagos State Deputy Governor Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele.

Reading the communiqué, the Chairman of SMBLF and leader of Afenifere, Oladipo Olaitan, said the forum believes state governors should have powers over their state police commissioners comparable to those exercised by the President over the Inspector-General of Police.

The forum also expressed concern over what it described as a lack of internal democracy in the ongoing party primaries across the country.

According to the communiqué, the forum believes that democratic governance should guarantee the free choice of candidates by party members and the electorate.

SMBLF also advocated the retention of Nigeria’s multi-party democratic system and called for constitutional provisions to accommodate independent candidacy.

The group called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to continue to discharge its constitutional responsibilities independently and called for measures that would strengthen public confidence in the electoral process, just as it urged the judiciary to remain independent in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities and urged the media to continue playing its role in safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy.

On constitutional reform, SMBLF reiterated its longstanding call for a new constitution anchored on the principles of true federalism.

Ahead of the 2027 presidential election, incumbent President Bola Tinubu has told his challengers to be prepared  for a tough fight to finish, saying that he would not yield ground without a fight, 

President Tinubu’, who gave the warning during his welcome remarks when he received the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria at the presidential villa on Tuesday said all is fair in a democratic contest.

Firing the warning shot, the President said, “Those who would take it from me will try. They will try. All is fair in politics, and there is equal opportunity.

“I won’t offer them a red carpet. I won’t offer them the leash to tie me at home.

“No, we will wrestle each other to the finishing point. That’s the truth. That is fair in politics,” the President told the bishops.

He noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has remained neutral and unbias.in it’s conduct, saying ‘It has never, ever intimidated anybody. If political opponents are crying wolf, then they are afraid of their own shadows and the uncertainty in the company they keep.”

 Tinubu, who explained to the clerics that three years of difficult reforms were yielding visible dividends, pointef to the uninterrupted academic calendar as a measure ordinary Nigerians could feel.

On the broader economic picture, Tinubu acknowledged that he had inherited both the assets and liabilities of the previous Muhammadu Buhari administration but insisted that stabilisation had been achieved and that better days were within reach.

“This government has stabilised, and there is prosperity on the horizon. The quality of life is improving,” he said, adding that he had not shirked the burden of difficult decisions.

“I inherited it. I didn’t run away. I asked for this job. I’m in it,” he added.

The President, who emphasised on national unity and security, described Nigeria’s challenges as a generational issue that could not be escaped.

He said, “The security situation is what it is. We don’t have another country but here.

“This Nigeria. And we revert to our national anthem: in its complexity and diversity, we shall thrive, live, rejoice and be good to all of us.

“Our founding fathers did their best. They left us a nation, and we owe it to our generations yet unborn to build a nation of unity, stability and prosperity for the future.”