NUJ Warns Against Violence In Osun Governorship Poll

With just weeks left before the August 15 governorship election, tension in Osun State is rising fast, and journalists are among the first to raise the alarm.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists, Osun State Council, has condemned the growing wave of Osun governorship election violence and is calling on security agencies to stay strictly neutral as the state heads to the polls.

The position came at the end of the NUJ's July Congress, held at the union's secretariat in Osogbo on Wednesday. The communiqué was signed by NUJ Secretary Olalekan Akindoju, NAWOJ Chairperson Abisola Ariwodola, and Francis Ezediuno, following deliberations on media issues, governance, and preparations for the vote.

Among the key points raised:

• The Nigeria Police Force must remain neutral while carrying out its constitutional duties
• Police conduct should be professional enough to earn public trust
• Politicians must restrain their own supporters rather than incite them

"There is a need for the Nigeria Police Force to project a positive image capable of earning the trust of the public," the communiqué stated.

The union was direct about what is at stake, insisting that no election is worth turning neighbors against each other.

"Politicians should play by the rules and rein in their supporters. Election should not be a do or die affair," the statement read.

Beyond security concerns, the Congress urged ordinary citizens not to be intimidated out of the process. Registered voters who have not yet collected their Permanent Voter Cards were encouraged to visit INEC centers before the deadline.

Journalists themselves are not exempt from the tension. The NUJ stressed that media professionals must be able to do their jobs without harassment, and asked security agencies to protect reporters before, during, and after the election.

Away from the politics, the Congress used the moment to acknowledge some positive developments. It commended Governor Ademola Adeleke for approving permanent employment for 66 contract staff at the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation.

The union also credited Senator Lere Oyewumi, Director-General of the Accord Governorship Campaign, for helping push that transition through for the affected OSBC workers, and urged the newly confirmed staff to repay that support with stronger commitment to their roles.

The Congress did not stop at the election. It also called on the Osun State Government to tighten security around schools and border communities, and praised the Federal Government for rescuing kidnapped teachers and students from Oyo State's Orire Local Government Area.

Taken together, the message from Osun's journalists is simple. The vote matters, but not more than the lives of the people casting it