Osun 2026: ODA Convenes Election Integrity Summit, Rallies INEC, Candidates, Key Stakeholders Behind Peace Charter
.Signs peace accord as Adeleke calls for peaceful election
Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo
The Osun Development Association (ODA) yesterday hosted the Osun 2026 Democratic Governance, Peace and Electoral Integrity Summit, a high-level civic intervention designed to steer the state’s political discourse toward issue-based campaigning and away from rising tension, ahead of the August governorship election.
At the occasion, Osun State Governor, Governor Ademola Adeleke, called for peaceful election, saying violence would not be tolerated in whatever form.
The governor who was represented by his Deputy, Prince Kola Adewusi, stressed that the government is working seriously with all security agencies to ensure free, fair credible and acceptable election devoid of violence.
He therefore commended Osun Development Association for organising Governance and Electoral Integrity Summit, saying the development was a welcome development.
The non-partisan diaspora body convened INEC, security chiefs, candidates and civil society for landmark accountability summit ahead of August governorship polls
The summit was held at the Aurora Event Centre, Osogbo, under the theme ‘Speak, Choose, Hold Accountable: Citizens at the Centre of Osun’s Democracy’.
Convened by ODA’s Leadership and Governance Committee (LEAD-GOV), the summit is a non-partisan response from the state’s elite diaspora and domestic civic community to recent reports of political violence, destruction of campaign materials, and personality-driven friction across Osun State.
“Osun State is at a critical democratic crossroads,” said Dr. Tunji Olugbodi, Chairman of ODA’s LEAD-GOV Committee.
According to him, “We believe our state can, and must, set a national benchmark for peaceful, credible, and development-driven elections. This summit moves citizens from the periphery to the very centre of the democratic process, demanding institutional accountability from all political actors.”
The association noted that the summit will bring together a broad coalition of institutional stakeholders under a single framework, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), State Command heads of security agencies, registered political parties and their respective governorship candidates.
Others are the Osun State Chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Muslim Ummah leadership, traditional rulers, civil society organisations (CSOs), and professional bodies Youth and women’s advocacy groups, and the independent media corps.
He said the centrepiece of the summit will be the formal unveiling and signing of three institutional outputs designed to outlast the election cycle
He said, “The Osun 2026 Peace Charter a binding, public commitment by all political parties and candidates to non-violence and issue-led campaigning.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Segun Aina, Chairman of ODA, has noted that the collective participation of faith leaders, traditional institutions, and the independent press will supply the moral authority and public oversight required to preserve peace in the state.
He stressed that the Osun Development Association (ODA) is a premier non-partisan diaspora and domestic civic development organisation dedicated to the socio-economic advancement, good governance, and democratic sustainability of Osun State.
He emphasised that the peace accountability charter is a comprehensive, crowdsourced document setting out citizen expectations for the incoming administration.
Dr. Aina, however, said to ensure compliance beyond the election, ODA is working in alignment with the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) to deploy a dedicated post-summit monitoring and evaluation framework to track commitments made at the event over the three months following the August governorship election.
Meanwhile, singing of the peace and accountability charter was done by all political parties in attendance and witnessed by all stakeholders.