Osun Traditionalists Urge INEC to Shift 2026 Governorship Election Date

Traditional worshippers in Osun State have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to reconsider the date fixed for the 2026 governorship election, citing a clash with the annual Osun-Osogbo Cultural Festival.

The appeal was made by the Traditional Religion Worshippers Association of Osun State who expressed concern that the August 8, 2026 election date comes barely a day after the grand finale of the globally recognised festival describing the festival as Nigeria’s largest cultural gathering, attracting thousands of worshippers and tourists from within and outside the country warning that the heavy influx of visitors, coupled with movement restrictions and crowd control measures usually imposed during the festival, could pose serious security and logistical challenges for the conduct of the election. The association stressed that protecting the sanctity of the festival was a constitutional and cultural right of its adherents and urged INEC to consider public safety and peaceful coexistence.

Written by Adeyemi Adewale