Osun 2026: Ilesa East Council Chairman Commends Peaceful Voting, Urges Security Agencies to Sustain Vigilance
By Pan Afric Reporters
The Chairman of Ilesa East Local Government Area of Osun State, Hon. Olarewaju Balogun, has commended voters for conducting themselves peacefully in the ongoing Saturday’s governorship election, while urging security agencies to sustain vigilance throughout the electoral process.
Hon. Balogun, who spoke to Pan Afric Reporters shortly after casting his vote at polling ward 11, unit 5, expressed satisfaction with the peaceful atmosphere at polling units, noting that the development was a positive departure from the tension and negative reports that had dominated public discourse about the state in the weeks preceding the election.
“I see the people here, they are casting their votes. Everything is peaceful,” Balogun said.
He observed that Osun State had featured prominently in newspaper headlines in recent weeks for negative reasons, but said the peaceful conduct of the electorate on election day was an encouraging development that could help change the narrative about the state.
“For the past couple of weeks now, Osun State has been on the headline of newspapers for negative reasons. But now, I’m happy that people all over the world can see that this election now, at least for now, as at the time of this interaction (10:am) this morning, so far so good,” he stated.
The council chairman also commended the security agencies for their efforts in maintaining order at the polling units, but urged the police and other law enforcement officers to remain vigilant and proactive until the conclusion of the electoral process.
“We want to appeal to the police, all law enforcement officers, to step up their game and make sure we have a violence-free election,” he said.
Balogun equally appealed to voters across the state to exercise their civic responsibility peacefully, urging them to resist provocation, intimidation and any action capable of disrupting the electoral process.
“My message to the electorate that are casting their vote is, vote wisely. They should vote, they should not fight. We are one family. Somebody will win,” he said.
According to him, the overriding interest of the people should be the development of Osun State, irrespective of political affiliations, adding that every voter should be allowed to freely support the candidate of his or her choice.
“All we want in Osun State, we want a more developed state. So they should vote. Nobody should intimidate anybody for vote. They should vote whoever they believe,” Balogun added.
While expressing his choice of candidate, the council chairman maintained that voters should be free to make their individual choices at the polls, stressing that peaceful participation remained essential to the success of the election.
He called on political actors, voters and security personnel to sustain the peaceful atmosphere witnessed in the early hours of voting, saying that preserving peace before, during and after the election was in the collective interest of the people of Osun State.
