The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) has congratulated Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke on his re-election while commending security agencies for maintaining relative peace during the August 15 governorship election and urging comprehensive reforms to strengthen election security ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement issued on Saturday, RULAAC praised the people of Osun for participating peacefully despite a highly competitive political atmosphere but expressed concern over reported cases of voter intimidation, vote buying, political thuggery and other electoral irregularities. The organisation cited preliminary observations from the EU-SDGN Election Observation Hub, which recorded 323 electoral offences and irregularities and 38 security incidents across the observed polling units.
The advocacy group commended the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies for their operational preparedness, particularly under the leadership of Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Rilwan Disu. It noted that the police’s commitment to neutrality, deployment of senior officers, and decision to limit election security to constitutionally recognised agencies contributed to preventing widespread violence.
However, RULAAC stressed that commendation should not overshadow incidents of alleged misconduct, including reports of voter intimidation, harassment of election observers and the discharge of tear gas at Modakeke. It welcomed the reported apprehension of a police officer seen in a viral video allegedly disrupting the electoral process, describing the swift response as a positive example of institutional accountability.
The organisation urged security agencies to use the Osun election as a learning opportunity by strengthening human rights compliance, ensuring accountability for misconduct, improving election-security training, protecting election observers and journalists, and institutionalising stronger engagement with civil society ahead of the 2027 elections.
RULAAC also called for a comprehensive post-election security review involving civil society organisations and independent observers, saying future election security should be judged not only by the absence of violence but also by the protection of democratic rights and the rule
