IT is frightening that election-related killings are continuing in Osun after the contentious August 15 governorship election.It is proof that electoral violence runs deep in the state and could linger long after the ballots have been counted unless urgent and stringent measures are taken to restore sanity.In Osun, election is war.On August 19, the convoy of Governor Ademola Adeleke was shot at shortly after leaving the palace of the paramount ruler of Osogbo, triggering a shootout. Music icon and the governor’s nephew, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke, was rumoured to have been the target.Five days later, on August 24, another shooting at Naira and Kobo Junction in the Motor Park/Garage Area of Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, claimed two lives.According to the Osun State Police Command, two police officers sustained serious injuries. The assailants also reportedly snatched a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Police Division and took an AK-47 service rifle from the police.These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. It is proof that electoral violence runs deep in the state and could linger long after the ballots have been counted unless urgent and stringent measures are taken to restore sanity.In Osun, election is war.On August 19, the convoy of Governor Ademola Adeleke was shot at shortly after leaving the palace of the paramount ruler of Osogbo, triggering a shootout. Music icon and the governor’s nephew, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke, was rumoured to have been the target.Five days later, on August 24, another shooting at Naira and Kobo Junction in the Motor Park/Garage Area of Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, claimed two lives.According to the Osun State Police Command, two police officers sustained serious injuries. The assailants also reportedly snatched a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Police Division and took an AK-47 service rifle from the police.These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. In Osun, election is war.On August 19, the convoy of Governor Ademola Adeleke was shot at shortly after leaving the palace of the paramount ruler of Osogbo, triggering a shootout. Music icon and the governor’s nephew, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke, was rumoured to have been the target.Five days later, on August 24, another shooting at Naira and Kobo Junction in the Motor Park/Garage Area of Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, claimed two lives.According to the Osun State Police Command, two police officers sustained serious injuries. The assailants also reportedly snatched a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Police Division and took an AK-47 service rifle from the police.These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. On August 19, the convoy of Governor Ademola Adeleke was shot at shortly after leaving the palace of the paramount ruler of Osogbo, triggering a shootout. Music icon and the governor’s nephew, David ‘Davido’ Adeleke, was rumoured to have been the target.Five days later, on August 24, another shooting at Naira and Kobo Junction in the Motor Park/Garage Area of Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, claimed two lives.According to the Osun State Police Command, two police officers sustained serious injuries. The assailants also reportedly snatched a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Police Division and took an AK-47 service rifle from the police.These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Five days later, on August 24, another shooting at Naira and Kobo Junction in the Motor Park/Garage Area of Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area, claimed two lives.According to the Osun State Police Command, two police officers sustained serious injuries. The assailants also reportedly snatched a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Police Division and took an AK-47 service rifle from the police.These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. According to the Osun State Police Command, two police officers sustained serious injuries. The assailants also reportedly snatched a patrol vehicle belonging to the Ikire Police Division and took an AK-47 service rifle from the police.These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. These are not ordinary breaches of public order. They are direct assaults on public peace and state authority.The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The police must therefore apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the Ikire killings and the attack on the governor’s convoy. Failure to do so would seriously indict the security agencies and invite criminals to test the limits of the state.The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The post-election atmosphere in Osun resembles the peace of a graveyard.Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Beneath the surface lies a combustible mixture of political hatred, deep-seated animosity and unresolved grievances that the slightest spark could ignite.The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The contentious 2022 election outcomes, Adeleke’s defection to the Accord Party, the local government election debacle now before the Court of Appeal, the freezing of the state government’s account by a federal agency and inflammatory pronouncements by political heavyweights have all contributed to the tension.Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Shortly after Adeleke was declared governor, members of his party rallied to take over the local councils in the state in a matter that remains sub judice, before the governor intervened.That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. That attempt at political self-help could easily have snowballed into fatal violence. Political pundits have warned that whichever way the case before the Court of Appeal goes, violence could follow.This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. This is the tragic Osun template.Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Violence and killings have become almost synonymous with governorship elections in the state. Since the contentious 2007 election that unseated the ruling PDP, enthroned the opposition AC, and effectively enrolled Osun among Nigeria’s off-cycle election states, violence has repeatedly featured in its political contests.The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The 2026 governorship election took this ugly narrative to another level. Violence and killings wrestled the headlines with the election itself. That must change.Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Especially now that the violence is no longer confined to political rallies and rival camps.It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. It is degenerating into confrontation with the authority of the state and threatening the life of its chief security officer.Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Yet Osun presents a striking paradox.In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. In the last governorship election, the state became a reference point for active voter participation despite threats and intimidation by undesirable politicians. With voter turnout exceeding 51 per cent, according to the electoral umpire, Osun appeared to offer hope that Nigerians could overcome voter apathy and turn out in greater numbers for future elections.But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. But behind that impressive turnout was a darker reality.The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The state was also a theatre of violence, hate speech and killings in the days preceding the election.At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. At least 30 people were reportedly killed in the build-up to the polls.More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. More troubling was the inflammatory rhetoric from political actors. The senator representing Osun Central, Francis Fadahunsi, was reported to have called for the killing of members of the Accord Party, the ruling party in the state, before the election. Although he subsequently denied making the statement, such allegations cannot simply be wished away.If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. If established, the appropriate response should be prosecution, not political amnesia. Politicians must understand that words can kill, particularly when spoken before supporters already primed for confrontation.Related NewsFund family planning to fight insecurity in West Africa, gynaecologists tell govts2027: NDC denies diverting aspirants’ donationsObi, Alia lock horns over blocked Benue visitThe leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The leadership of the APC and Accord Party have traded allegations and counter-allegations amid the orgy of killings, while simultaneously calling on security agencies to identify the perpetrators.The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The security agencies should heed those calls but without political favour.Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Every allegation must be investigated. Every suspect must be subjected to due process. Every perpetrator, regardless of political affiliation, must face the law.The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The parties must also close ranks, rein in their members and work together towards a lasting solution to electoral violence in Osun. Political rivalry is legitimate. Political warfare is not.The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The Executive Order issued by Adeleke establishing a Coroner Inquest/Panel of Inquiry into the shootings, killings and other violence in Ikire is also a step in the right direction.But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. But an inquiry must not become another ritual of government.The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The panel must work diligently, independently and transparently. Its mandate should be pursued without fear or favour, so that the dead and other victims of the violence can obtain justice.More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. More fundamentally, the rash of pre- and post-election killings suggests that too many weapons are in the wrong hands in Osun.The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The trail leads inevitably to the political culture in which politicians arm thugs before elections and then lose control of the weapons, and sometimes the thugs themselves after the ballots have been cast.This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. This is both reckless and criminal.As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. As former President Goodluck Jonathan aptly stated, no political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian.The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The security agencies must therefore crack down on the criminals, mop up illegal arms and bring not only the foot soldiers but also the masterminds to justice. This should apply in Osun and across the country.Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Sadly, the interventions of the National Peace Committee, founded in 2014 and chaired by former Head of State Abdulsalami Abubakar, appear to have achieved little in preventing the steady escalation of political tensions around elections.Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Peace accords are useful. But politicians signing agreements they have no intention of honouring is hardly a substitute for law enforcement.About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. About 870 people have reportedly been lost to election-related violence since the NPC was founded, while the Centre for Democracy and Development reported that 109 people were killed during the 2023 general elections.The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The fundamental problem is that Nigerian elections have become do-or-die contests because political office is extraordinarily lucrative and political competition extraordinarily expensive.The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The perks of office are virtually unrestrained. Control of public resources confers enormous economic and political power. Consequently, losing an election is often perceived not merely as losing an office but as losing access to a vast patronage system.That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. That is why Nigeria must begin to make political office less attractive as a route to personal enrichment.Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Reduce the obscene perks. Tighten accountability. Make public office a responsibility rather than an economic jackpot.Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Until the rewards of political office are reduced, the incentive to kill, maim, intimidate and manipulate elections will remain dangerously high.The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The National Orientation Agency should mount a sustained public enlightenment campaign, particularly in local languages, to sensitise citizens to the consequences of electoral violence and the need to reject politicians who weaponise their supporters.But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. But ultimately, the responsibility rests with the political class.Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. Osun has bled enough.The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed. The August 15 election should not become another chapter in the state’s grim history of electoral violence. The shootings must stop. The killers must be caught. The masterminds must be exposed.