Bola Oyebamiji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the August 15 governorship election in Osun State, has alleged fresh attacks on some members of the party.

Oyebamiji made the allegation on Friday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

He said Tinubu advised him and other stakeholders to prioritise peace, noting that governance is ultimately about the people.

Oyebamiji appealed to residents of Osun State to remain calm as the APC continues to review the election results.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Ademola Adeleke the winner with 511,067 votes, while Oyebamiji polled 444,815 votes.

Adeleke won 19 of the 30 local government areas, while Oyebamiji won 11.

Oyebamiji said the APC was still examining the election results and would announce its position after completing the review.

He also called on Adeleke to caution his supporters against violence.

According to him, the appeal followed alleged attacks on APC members after the election.

Oyebamiji alleged that four or five people were attacked in his hometown, Ikire, on Friday morning.

He said the incidents had been reported to security agencies.

He urged APC members and other residents to remain calm, stressing that violence would not benefit the people of the state.

**Commission to Test Electoral Technology, Recruit 1.4m Ad-Hoc Staff as Preparations Intensify**

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plans to conduct a nationwide mock accreditation exercise in November 2026 as part of its preparations for the 2027 General Election.

The exercise will provide the electoral body with an opportunity to test the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and other critical electoral equipment ahead of the polls, while allowing the Commission to identify and resolve possible operational challenges before election day.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, disclosed this on Friday when he received a delegation from the Canadian High Commission, led by Canada’s Chargé d’Affaires to Nigeria, David Sproule, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

Amupitan described the planned mock accreditation as one of five major strategic priorities adopted by INEC to ensure a credible, efficient and technologically sound electoral process in 2027.

According to him, the Commission’s other priorities include consolidating technological gains, deepening electoral inclusion, strengthening institutional capacity and technical support, and combating misinformation while protecting the integrity of the electoral process.

Osun Election as 2027 Benchmark

The INEC chairman said the Commission would build on lessons from recent off-cycle elections as it fine-tunes its preparations for the 2027 elections.

He specifically referenced the governorship elections in Anambra and Ekiti states, the FCT Area Council elections and the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election as important testing grounds for electoral reforms and operational improvements.

“We view the success in Osun not as a final destination, but as the gold standard that will guide our preparations for 2027,” Amupitan was quoted as saying.

According to him, the Osun election recorded significant operational improvements, with 3,556 out of 3,763 polling units, representing 94.5 per cent, opening for accreditation and voting by 8:30 a.m.

He also cited the optimal performance of BVAS, seamless uploading of results through the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) and proactive management of emerging challenges as some of the positive outcomes from the election.

The Commission is expected to use the November mock exercise to subject its systems and personnel to another nationwide test, with the aim of ensuring that identified weaknesses are addressed well before the 2027 polls.

INEC Targets 1.4 Million Ad-Hoc Personnel

As part of its preparations for the massive electoral exercise, Amupitan disclosed that INEC would require approximately 1.4 million ad-hoc personnel to conduct the 2027 elections across more than 176,000 polling units nationwide.

The scale of the deployment underscores the logistical and administrative demands facing the electoral body as it prepares for one of the country’s largest democratic exercises.

Beyond personnel and logistics, the Commission is also expanding its focus on emerging technology, particularly artificial intelligence.

INEC Establishes AI Unit

Amupitan disclosed that INEC had established a dedicated Artificial Intelligence (AI) unit to explore responsible applications of the technology in critical areas of the electoral process.

The unit is expected to examine how AI can support areas including data management, voter registration and results transmission, while also developing safeguards against the potential misuse of the technology.

The Commission will further participate in the Global Conference on Responsible AI and Elections, scheduled to hold from September 9 to 11, 2026, in Ottawa, Canada.

According to Amupitan, the conference will provide an opportunity for INEC and other stakeholders to examine responsible applications of AI in elections and develop strategies to tackle emerging threats such as deepfakes, disinformation and other technology-driven attempts to undermine electoral integrity.

INEC Reaffirms Independence

The INEC chairman also used the occasion to reassure the Canadian delegation and the international community of the Commission’s commitment to conducting elections without political interference.

He reaffirmed INEC’s “absolute independence, neutrality, and unyielding commitment to democratic integrity.”

The assurance comes amid growing political activity ahead of the 2027 elections, with political parties and major political actors already intensifying their mobilisation and realignment efforts.

The Canadian delegation, meanwhile, reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s democratic development and electoral processes.

The areas of support include strengthening electoral participation, promoting women’s inclusion, improving public awareness, providing technical assistance and supporting election observation.

2027 Election Timetable

The 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and State House of Assembly elections will take place on February 6, 2027.

Campaigns for the national elections commenced on Wednesday, while political campaigns for the governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled to begin on September 9, 2026.

With less than five months to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the November nationwide mock accreditation exercise is expected to serve as a major readiness test for INEC, particularly its BVAS deployment, personnel mobilisation and wider election technology infrastructure.

The Commission’s ability to identify and resolve weaknesses during the exercise could prove critical to its efforts to deliver a seamless and credible electoral process in the 2027 elections.

FCT Minister Says More Opposition Figures, Politicians May Align With President Ahead of 2027

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has predicted the emergence of a broader political alliance that could strengthen President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bid for re-election in the 2027 presidential election.

Wike, who spoke on Friday while inspecting ongoing projects across the Federal Capital Territory, described the emerging political realignment as a “larger rainbow coalition” that would bring together politicians from different political parties in support of the President.

The former Rivers State governor was reacting to the recent meeting between President Tinubu and Osun State Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, which he said was an indication of a changing political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to Wike, Adeleke’s engagement with the President demonstrated that political affiliations would not necessarily prevent politicians from working together in support of Tinubu.

“What happened last night is a meeting to rebuild a larger Rainbow Coalition. And he (Adeleke) is supporting Mr. President. He’s in a different party; I’m supporting Mr. President, and I’m in a different party. So, it’s a larger Rainbow Coalition,” Wike said.

‘There Is No Leading Opposition Party’

Wike also dismissed the description of any political party as Nigeria’s leading opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, arguing that the internal crises within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the broader opposition camp had weakened the emergence of a formidable opposition platform.

“When you say opposition, I’ve told you I don’t know what you call opposition, as far as there is no opposition now,” he said.

He noted that although Adeleke remains associated with the PDP, his political engagement with the Tinubu administration showed the increasingly fluid nature of Nigerian politics.

Wike further argued that the PDP would ordinarily have been the country’s principal opposition party, but its prolonged internal crisis had affected its ability to function as a strong and united opposition.

“Ordinarily, it should have been PDP, but because of the crisis we’ve had, and so you can’t see a formidable party that you will call the leading opposition party,” he said.

According to him, politicians currently positioning themselves as opposition leaders are largely seeking relevance rather than operating from the strength of a cohesive political structure.

“What you have are people who are just trying to see whether they can be relevant,” the minister added.

Wike Dismisses ADC Claims

Wike also took a swipe at members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who claimed that the party and other opposition forces played a major role in Adeleke’s electoral victory in the August 15, 2026 Osun State governorship election.

The minister accused the ADC of attempting to claim credit for an electoral victory in which, according to him, they had little or no role in the groundwork.

“All those ADC who are talking about ‘they helped Adeleke to win,’ they just wanted to go and harvest where they never planted,” Wike said.

He maintained that Adeleke’s reported support for President Tinubu further demonstrated the fluidity of the political landscape and could have implications for the 2027 presidential contest.

Asked about how prominent opposition figures, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, might interpret his political engagement with Adeleke, Wike again insisted that Nigeria currently lacked a clearly defined opposition bloc.

The FCT minister subsequently hinted that more political realignments could emerge in the coming weeks.

“And the next few weeks, watch what is going to happen. You will see a larger Rainbow Coalition in this country supporting Mr. President,” he said.

Wike Inspects FCT Projects

Earlier, Wike said his inspection tour of ongoing projects in Abuja was aimed at ensuring that major infrastructure projects scheduled for completion in 2026 were delivered within the stipulated timeframe.

He inspected the N5 Extension project in Life Camp, being constructed by Julius Berger, and expressed satisfaction with the pace and quality of work.

The minister said the project was expected to be completed and handed over in December.

He also inspected the N1 Road project being executed by Arab Contractors, describing the quality of construction as high and confirming that the project was equally scheduled for completion and handover in December.

Wike later visited the IBB International Golf Club, which is undergoing extensive rehabilitation following intervention by President Tinubu.

He said the facility was expected to be physically completed by November and officially reopened in December.

“That this golf course must be ready and be reopened by December. So we are giving it to Julius Berger to ensure that everything is done. And by December this year, the golf course will be reopened,” he said.

According to the minister, Julius Berger was re-engaged for the rehabilitation because the company originally constructed the golf facility and therefore possesses the technical knowledge required to restore it to the appropriate standard.

Wike explained that the golf club had been shut following an internal crisis, prompting the appointment of a caretaker committee headed by the President of the Court of Appeal.

He commended the committee for its role in resolving the dispute and creating the conditions for the rehabilitation and reopening of the facility.

However, the minister warned that the government would not continue to provide public funds for the operation and maintenance of the golf club after its reopening.

He said the management of the facility must develop sustainable revenue streams capable of funding its operations.

“I would believe, this time around, that when this is done, they should be able to raise funds by themselves to run this place. The government should not use public funds to come back to do it,” Wike said.

With the 2027 elections drawing closer, Wike’s comments further highlight the growing political realignments across party lines and the possibility of a broader coalition emerging around President Tinubu’s re-election bid.