In democracies worldwide, an election is usually the best chance for groups of people to determine their own future. The Osun State governorship election will present voters with such an opportunity on Saturday, July 16th, 2022.
Here’s everything you need to know about this election.
Why’s it taking place before 2023?
Just like the June 18th, 2022 Ekiti State governorship election, the Osun State governorship election is one of a handful of governorship elections in Nigeria that doesn’t happen at the same time as the nationwide general elections. The Osun election fell out of sync with the regular timetable after the Supreme Court overturned Olagunsoye Oyinlola’s 2007 victory in favour of Rauf Aregbesola in 2010.
Is an incumbent governor involved?
Yes.
The incumbent governor, Gboyega Oyetola, is contesting for a second term in office as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC). His biggest obstacle, yet again, is Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whom he narrowly beat in 2018.
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How many candidates are contesting?
Nigeria has 18 political parties; 15 of them will participate in the Osun State governorship election. The three parties that won’t participate are Action Alliance (AA), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).
All 15 governorship candidates are male, but there are six female deputy governorship candidates in the race. No woman has ever been elected governor in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
Source: INEC
How many people are voting?
There are 1,955,657 voters eligible to vote in the Osun State governorship election. But only about 1,479,595 (75.7%) have collected their permanent voter’s cards (PVC) as of Sunday, July 10th, 2022.
Number 7
The upcoming contest is the seventh governorship election in Osun State since its creation in 1991. The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has deployed 21,000 police officers to the state to ensure a peaceful process.
When will the winner be sworn in?
The winner of the Osun State governorship election will be sworn in on November 27th, 2022.
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