OSUN 2026: The Blood Before the Ballot — An Investigation into How More Than 29 Lives Were Sacrificed for the Guber Seat

By Usman HARUNA ✔

 

OSUN 2026

The Blood Before the Ballot

An Investigation into How More Than 29 Lives Were Sacrificed for the Guber Seat

 

The August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election, won by incumbent Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party with 511,067 votes against the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Bola Oyebamiji's 444,815, was preceded by a wave of politically linked violence that claimed more than 29 lives.

There is still no single, fully reconciled official death toll. Figures released by the police, civil society organisations, and election observers vary due to the overlapping nature of political thuggery and cult-related attacks, as well as ongoing investigations.

Key Figures from Available Records

Source	Reported toll	Incidents	Period covered
Nigeria Police Force	30+ killings	—	Build-up to election
Nigerian Bar Association (citing KDI)	29 deaths	73 incidents	May – July 2026
YIAGA Africa	35+ deaths	—	Build-up to election
CJID Conflict Tracker	18 deaths	34 incidents	Since May 2026

 

The Nigerian Bar Association, citing data from the Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), reported that Osogbo and Ilesa accounted for the highest concentration of incidents.

Most of the fatalities occurred in the months leading up to the poll rather than on election day itself. On August 15, isolated incidents of gunfire, ballot-box snatching and intimidation were reported, including the shooting of one man at a collation centre in Osogbo, but no large-scale confirmed deaths were recorded during voting and counting.

After the election, the Imole Campaign Council of Governor Adeleke directed its structures in all 30 local government areas to compile records of victims of electoral violence, irrespective of political affiliation. Civil society groups and members of the National Assembly have called for independent investigations into the killings.

Publicly Named Victims

The following individuals have been publicly identified in reports by Punch, Legit.ng, Sahara Reporters and other outlets as having been killed in incidents linked to the political tension. These are the cases whose identities have so far been established in media investigations. In several instances, parties traded accusations and full independent confirmation remains pending:

1.    Kazeem Oyewole — killed in January 2026 at Orita Elelede, Osogbo.

2.    Kolade Eluyera — Son of an Accord Party women leader in Irewole LGA — killed on 8 May 2026 in Ikire.

3.    Ezekiel Olapade — 14-year-old boy — fatally shot on 21 June 2026 in Ilobu, Irepodun LGA.

The boy sh0t in Ilobu — Credit: Premium Times 

4.    Ajayi Aderogba ("Rogba") — Accord Party supporter — shot dead around 23–24 June 2026 in Esa-Oke, Obokun LGA.

5.    Taofeeq Mustapha — APC member — shot dead on 27 June 2026.

6.    Timilehin Oni (19) — Shot dead on 6 July 2026 in the Ijebu-Jesa area.

7.    Lateef Adelodun ("Lexy") — Killed on 15 July 2026 in Egbatedo, Osogbo.

8.    Waheed Adigun — Killed the same day, in the same Egbatedo incident.

9.    Ibrahim — Killed on 26 July 2026 in the Atelewo area of Osogbo.

10. Aderombi Abass, Ganiyu Gele, Wole Vulcaniser, Rafiu Quadri Abiodun, Elijah Baba Ewe — Named by Accord Party sources as killed in separate attacks.

11. Ayegbo Oluwadele — APC supporter — shot dead on 12 August 2026 in Esa-Oke. Confirmed by Osun State Police.

12. Unnamed Accord Party member — Allegedly killed on 14 August 2026 in Omi Eran Atijo community. Sahara Reporters published video footage of the body.

These 16 cases represent the victims whose identities have so far been established in public reporting. The overall reported figure from police and major election observers remains more than 29.

Context from Investigations

The violence was concentrated in Osogbo, Ilesa/Esa-Oke, Ilobu, Ikire and adjoining communities. Election observers and security reports noted a frequent overlap between political thuggery and cult activities. Although thousands of security personnel were deployed, many cases remain under investigation, and the identities of the remaining victims have not yet been publicly released.

Closing

What this investigation makes clear is that Osun's 2026 election was never decided solely at the ballot box — it was shaped, in part, by the silences of those who did not live to see the result. Kazeem, Kolade, Ezekiel, Taofeeq, Timilehin, Lateef, Waheed, Ayegbo, and the others named and unnamed in these pages were not casualties of politics in the abstract. They were sons, supporters, and in at least one case, a child of fourteen — caught in a contest for power that offered them no protection and, so far, no justice. None of this was the toll of one party against another — it was the shared cost both sides paid for a single seat. A democracy is measured not only by how many votes are counted, but by how honestly it counts what the campaign cost, regardless of which side buried its members. Until Osun's institutions match the scale of these deaths with the scale of their investigation, that debt will remain unpaid.

 

This report is based on contemporaneous accounts published by Punch, Legit.ng, The Guardian, Sahara Reporters, CJID, KDI-linked assessments, statements by the Nigerian Bar Association and YIAGA Africa, as of mid-to-late August 2026.