Osun Election: Adeleke Campaign Demands Withdrawal of Ebonyi REC, Questions Presence in State

OSOGBO: The Imole Campaign Council has demanded the immediate withdrawal of Ebonyi State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mrs Pauline Ugoyenka, from Osun ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

The campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke also wants the Independent National Electoral Commission to explain why Ugoyenka is allegedly in Osun despite not being listed among the RECs deployed for the election.

The demand was contained in a statement issued Thursday by the Chairman of the council’s Media and Publicity Committee, Bamidele Salam.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the allegation comes just 48 hours before Osun voters head to the polls, with political parties already questioning the neutrality and preparedness of institutions responsible for the election.

The council claimed an INEC letter dated August 3 identified the RECs from 15 contributing states whose personnel were deployed to support the Osun election.

According to the council, Ebonyi State was not among those listed. It therefore questioned who authorised Ugoyenka’s presence in Osun and what role she was performing.

“So, who authorised Mrs Pauline Ugoyenka’s presence in Osun, and what exactly is she doing here?”

The campaign council urged INEC to publish the complete list of officials deployed for Saturday’s election. It described the matter as too serious to be left unexplained.“This is an election, not a covert operation.”

What exactly is Ugoyenka doing in Osun?

That is now the central question. The Imole Campaign Council alleged that Ugoyenka was staying at Tees Continental Hotel in Osogbo. It further alleged that she had previously stayed at Aenon Suites.

The council also made allegations concerning individuals it claimed were brought into the state from Lagos and Abuja.

However, those allegations have not been independently established, and the campaign council did not provide evidence proving that Ugoyenka was involved in any attempt to manipulate the election.

That distinction matters. A REC being present in another state does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing. There may be an official explanation for her presence. She could have been assigned a role that was not reflected in the document cited by the campaign council.

INEC could also have subsequently authorised her deployment. That is precisely why the commission needs to answer the question.

Silence would leave the political vacuum to be filled by suspicion.

The timing makes the allegation explosive

The controversy comes as Osun prepares for an election already surrounded by security and credibility concerns.

Security agencies have announced a massive deployment for the poll. The NSCDC has deployed 10,210 personnel, while the police have announced 15,000 officers for the election.

The Council of the Wise, led by former Chief Justice of Nigeria Olukayode Ariwoola, has separately warned political actors against violence.

Amnesty International has also demanded accountability over alleged inflammatory remarks attributed to Senator Francis Fadahunsi.

And the Nigerian Navy has reportedly arrested an APC House of Assembly candidate, Babatunde Komolafe Festus, over alleged possession of a firearm.

Against that background, any allegation involving an electoral official is bound to receive heightened scrutiny. The problem is not merely whether Ugoyenka is physically in Osun.

The problem is whether she has an official electoral assignment. If she does, INEC should say so. If she does not, INEC should also say so.

Campaign council raises ballot paper concerns

The Adeleke campaign organisation has also raised another concern. It questioned reports about the alleged use of ballot papers and result sheets that were not specifically customised for the Osun governorship election.

The council demanded clarification from INEC on the production and verification of the materials. It insisted that electoral materials should be properly customised, identifiable and verified for Saturday’s poll.

This is a separate issue from the alleged presence of the Ebonyi REC. But politically, the two complaints are now being presented together.

The campaign council argues that both matters require immediate clarification before voters go to the polls. That demand is reasonable as far as transparency is concerned.

But allegations should not be converted into facts before INEC responds.

INEC now has an easy way to end the controversy

The commission does not need a complicated response. It needs to publish the list of officials deployed to Osun. It needs to state whether Pauline Ugoyenka is in the state.

If she is, it should state why. If she has an official assignment, it should identify that assignment. If she has no election-related role, it should explain why she is present.

And if the deployment was authorised after the August 3 letter cited by the campaign council, INEC should say so.

That would immediately reduce speculation. Instead, allowing competing political camps to construct their own explanations would be damaging to confidence in the election.

Adeleke’s campaign also has a burden

The campaign council cannot simply make allegations and expect them to become established facts because they concern election day.

If it believes an electoral official has acted improperly, it should provide evidence to INEC and other appropriate authorities.

The allegation that an official is connected to a rigging operation is particularly serious. It requires evidence. Political campaigns have a legitimate right to demand transparency.

They do not have a licence to turn suspicion into accusation without proof. That distinction is essential in the final hours of an election.

The bigger issue is trust

Nigeria’s election problem is not always the absence of electoral rules. Often, it is the absence of trust.

Once a political party believes an election official is secretly working against it, every action by that official becomes suspicious.

Once another party believes the first party is manufacturing allegations to discredit the process, every complaint becomes political.

That is how confidence collapses before votes are counted.

INEC therefore has an interest in resolving this matter quickly. Not because the Imole Campaign Council has necessarily proved its allegation. It has not.

But because the appearance of unexplained electoral activity can itself damage confidence in an election.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the immediate responsibility now lies with INEC to provide a factual explanation of Ugoyenka’s presence and role in Osun.

The commission must also address the separate questions raised about electoral materials. The objective should not be to satisfy Adeleke’s campaign.

It should be to satisfy the public that every official working on Saturday’s election has a legitimate, documented role.

Because when voters go to the polling unit, they should not be wondering who secretly authorised the people running the election.

They should be confident that the process is being run by officials whose authority can be verified.

ValidViewNetwork reports that with only two days left before the Osun election, transparency is no longer a courtesy from INEC. It is part of the security architecture of the election itself.

If Ugoyenka has an official assignment, INEC should say so. If she does not, INEC should say that too. The public deserves facts before the ballots are cast, not explanations after the results are announced.