Two persons were feared killed while two polime were shot on Monday in Ikire, Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, as post-election violence linked to the bitter rivalry between the ruling Accord Party and the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC continued to grip the state.
The clash, which eyewitnesses said erupted at about 10:30 a.m. at the Naira and Kobo Junction motor park, was triggered by an alleged attempt by drivers loyal to the Accord Party to seize control of the park from APC-aligned drivers who had held it before the 15 August governorship election.
Other reports claimed that a member of APC was abducted and maltreated prompting the Ikire Divisional Police Station to respond to distress signals.
In the melee, a new Toyota Hilux van donated to the Ikire Divisional Police Station was damaged — its windscreen smashed and tyres deflated — while videos from the scene showed one man slumped in a vehicle with a head wound and another lying face down in a pool of blood.
One policeman was shot in tbe arm while the other was shot at the back. Both were evacuated to an undisclosed hospital in Ibadan after receiving first aid treatment.
The violence took a further political dimension as prominent Accord Party chieftain and Senator representing Osun West, Akogun Kamorudeen Lere Oyewumi, was invited by the police in connection with the incident.
The Accord–APC feud is rooted in the dramatic realignment of Osun politics ahead of the 2026 governorship poll. In March 2026, Governor Ademola Adeleke defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the Accord Party, taking much of the PDP structure with him.
Senator Oyewumi, the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, followed suit, formally registering with Accord at Ward 9, Irewole LGA, and later emerging as Director-General of Adeleke’s re-election campaign — the Imole Campaign Council.
The defection converted what had been a PDP–APC contest into an Accord–APC showdown. On 15 August, INEC declared Adeleke winner with 511,067 votes against APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji’s 444,815 votes, securing a second term. Premium Times
A Campaign Trailed by Blood
The election was one of the most violent in the state’s history. A report by Kimpact Development Initiative documented 73 election-related violent incidents resulting in 29 deaths in the build-up to the poll, with 12 local government areas classified as high-risk. Amnesty International flagged flashpoints including Osogbo, Ede, Ife, Ilobu and Ikire. Among the dead was 14-year-old Ezekiel Olapade, shot in Ilobu in June, and Kolade Eluyera, killed in Ikire in May — a death that triggered mutual accusations between Accord and the APC, with neither party established as responsible. Premium Times
On the eve of the election, Accord alleged that gunmen it described as “APC thugs” launched coordinated attacks across Obokun, Odo Otin, Boripe and Irewole LGAs, claiming at least 15 of its members were killed. The party said homes of 25 Accord members in Ikire were raided, the palace of the Aree of Iree was attacked, and the violence extended to Senator Oyewumi’s own residence. SaharaReporters
The APC, for its part, has accused the Accord-led government of orchestrating violence, while APC Senator Francis Fadahunsi (Osun East) faced public backlash and a court-ordered police probe after a viral video showed him appearing to urge supporters that Accord members seen before election day should face “killing.”
Post-Election Flashpoints
The August 15 result did not end the bloodshed. Two days after the poll, gunshots rang out at the Ilesa East Local Government Secretariat as Accord supporters moved to take over the premises. Rival factions have since battled for control of council secretariats and transport unions — the same tussle over motor park control that turned deadly in Ikire on Monday, where some reports put the death toll in the garage takeover crisis as high as five.
Government Response
Governor Adeleke, acknowledging that the contest “came at a heavy human cost,” has announced a ₦500 million endowment fund for verified victims of election violence and constituted a 10-member committee — chaired by House Speaker Adewale Olumide, with police, DSS and civil society representation — to verify claims and disburse relief. He has also pledged an independent commission of inquiry into all election-period killings. “Politics should never cost anyone his or her life, irrespective of political affiliation,” the governor said.
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