The Thamani for Women and Youth Development Initiative (Thamani) has raised concerns over the growing incidents of killings, violent attacks, threats, intimidation and religious rhetoric ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, August 15.

The organisation said the reported violence surrounding the election had reached an alarming level, warning that continued attacks could undermine citizens’ right to participate freely in the democratic process.

Thamani, in a statement signed by its Programme Director, Nicholas Oshojah Afeso, cited figures from the Nigeria Police Force and a pre-election security risk assessment conducted by Kimpact Development Initiative.

According to the organisation, the Nigeria Police Force disclosed on July 7 that it had received reports concerning 30 cases of alleged politically motivated killings in Osun State.

It added that the Kimpact Development Initiative’s assessment documented 73 election-related violent incidents and 29 deaths, with 78 per cent of the incidents occurring between May and July as political activities intensified.

The assessment reportedly identified shootings, killings, assaults, intimidation, kidnappings and destruction of property, warning that violence was becoming concentrated in politically strategic locations where it could suppress voter turnout and influence electoral outcomes.

The organisation further noted that the Osun State Police Command on August 12 summoned Senator Francis Fadahunsi over remarks reportedly threatening members of the Accord Party.

Fadahunsi, however, has disputed the interpretation of his remarks, saying his comments were misrepresented. Thamani condemned all killings, threats and acts of intimidation, irrespective of the political affiliations of those involved.
“These are not ordinary incidents in a heated political contest. Twenty-nine deaths are twenty-nine human lives,” the organisation said, stressing that the victims were fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, neighbours and citizens whose lives could not be replaced by an election result.

It declared that “no governorship seat is worth one Nigerian life” and warned that political disagreements lose their democratic meaning when they are settled through violence.

It urged the President and the Federal Government to make clear that political violence and partisan use of federal institutions would not be tolerated, stressing that every citizen in Osun State, irrespective of political affiliation, deserved equal protection under the law.

The organisation also called on security agencies to investigate killings, threats and violent attacks promptly and impartially, insisting that anyone found culpable should face the law regardless of political connections.

It further demanded transparent investigations into allegations against security agencies, arguing that neutrality must be demonstrated through conduct rather than merely declared.

Thamani also raised concerns over what it described as an increasing attempt to frame political entitlement through religious identity in the Osun governorship contest. It noted that some Christian groups had publicly argued that the next governor should be a Christian, citing historical representation and perceived marginalisation.

According to the organisation, Muslim groups subsequently challenged those claims and advanced their own arguments concerning Muslim representation and exclusion.