Osun 2026: Accord Urges EU to Prevent Election Crisis
The Accord Party has urged the European Union (EU) to deploy preventive diplomacy to ease political tension in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.
In a letter to the EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Gautier Migot, Accord National Chairman, Chief Maxwell Mgbudem, said reports of violence, intimidation, arrests and alleged misuse of state institutions were creating anxiety ahead of the poll.
Mgbudem said the party was seeking early intervention, warning that action after violence or electoral damage would be too late.
Accord alleged that 29 people had died in politically related incidents in the state, while several others sustained gunshot injuries. It also claimed that more than 60 of its members and supporters had been arrested in Abuja and Nasarawa State.
The party further raised concerns over the arrest of some Osun government officials and the reported freezing of state government accounts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which President Bola Tinubu later directed to be unfrozen.
Accord said its concern was not to obstruct lawful investigations but to prevent state institutions from being used to intimidate political opponents or create an uneven electoral environment.
“We believe that the present situation calls for preventive diplomacy rather than intervention after the damage has been done,” Mgbudem said.
The party urged the EU to encourage INEC, security agencies and other authorities to remain neutral and ensure a free, fair, credible and peaceful election.
It also called for credible domestic and international observation of the poll and urged political actors to reject violence, intimidation and inflammatory rhetoric.
Accord said a peaceful and credible election would strengthen confidence in Nigeria’s democracy ahead of 2027, while any perception of manipulation or institutional bias could further erode public trust.
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