- Kazeem Badmus
A total of 1,906,390 eligible voters in Osun State are set to go out today to decide the next governor who will steer the ship of the state for another four years.
With the expiration of Governor Ademola Adeleke’s four years tenure coming, the fate of Osun state for the next four years is again set to be decided by voters.
Political parties had over the past weeks taken to the streets and communities to campaign for their respective candidates.
Ahead of the election, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the voters’ register which revelaed that Osun State has 2,339,233 eligible voters.
However, INEC in a latest update on the register disclosed that only 1,906,390 out of the eligible voters have successfully collected their PVCs and will cast their ballots across 332 wards and 3,763 polling units.
Fifteen political parties will be contesting the election, vying to become the next occupant of the Bola Ige House.
However, the poll is widely expected to be between the incumbent governor, Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election under the Accord Party, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Oyebamiji and Dr Najeem Salam of the African Democratic Congress.
While the INEC has promised a free, fair and credible poll, security agencies have assured residents of adequate protection at polling centres.
Coupled with the deployment of an election police commissioner, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, had also ensured massive deployment of personnel to the state which had over the months witnessed series of political violence with several lives lost.