Voters turned out early across Ede, the hometown of Osun State Governor and Accord Party governorship candidate Ademola Adeleke, as residents prepared to cast their ballots in the 2026 Osun governorship election on Saturday.
As early as 6:30am, vehicles were seen conveying voters and members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to different polling units across Ede North and Ede South Local Government Areas ahead of the exercise.
Some voters arrived at their polling units around 6:40am and waited for Independent National Electoral Commission officials to verify their details and commence the accreditation process.
The early turnout came amid heightened security arrangements across the town, with personnel of the Police Force and and Civil Defence Corps deployed to strategic locations and polling areas.
Security operatives were also stationed at checkpoints across Ede North and Ede South in enforcement of the vehicular movement restriction announced for the election.
Local election observers were sighted at some polling units, monitoring preparations and the arrival of election officials and materials.
By about 6:50am, security personnel had arrived at several polling units, while INEC officials were still expected at some locations with sensitive and non-sensitive election materials.
Accreditation had commenced at some polling units visited, although voters at other locations were still waiting for the display of the register containing the names of eligible voters.
Among the polling units visited were Sagba Agbogunde Ward 2, Unit 9; Adogbe Ward 3, Unit 5; and CAC Ward 4, Unit 2, all in Ede North Local Government Area.
Others included Orita Alajue Ward 5, Unit 1; Obalaoye Ward 2, Unit 5; and Agip Ward 2, Unit 3, in Ede South Local Government Area.
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The early voter presence in Ede is particularly significant because the town is the home base of Governor Ademola Adeleke, who is contesting the governorship election under the Accord platform.
The 2026 Osun governorship election is being conducted across the state’s 30 local government areas, with voters choosing the next governor of the South-West state.
The election has attracted considerable political attention, with the outcome expected to determine who will govern Osun for the next four years.
As voting gets underway, attention remains focused on voter turnout, the conduct of accreditation, the arrival of election materials and the level of security across the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to continue the voting and collation process across polling units and wards before results from the various local government areas are announced.
