The Independent National Electoral Commission in Osun State has identified 385 potential flashpoints and 200 difficult terrains ahead of the forthcoming governorship election, underscoring security and logistics as the most pressing challenges before voters head to the polls.

Resident Electoral Commissioner Oluwatoyin Babalola disclosed the figures at a high-level security meeting convened by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the South West, Adegoke Fayoade, at the Osun State Police Command headquarters in Osogbo. The session brought together heads of security agencies, religious leaders, electoral officials and the media, and was also attended by the state Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Gotan.

Babalola explained that INEC had completed a comprehensive risk assessment across all 30 local government areas of the state, with the findings already shared with security chiefs. The exercise, she said, placed Osun in an “amber zone,” prompting intensified preparations and targeted training for field officers.

According to her, the 385 flashpoints were identified through ground-truthing missions by INEC personnel, who were deployed to communities to evaluate threats such as political tension, history of violence and recent criminal activity. The 200 difficult terrains, she added, include communities that are not motorable or are only accessible through waterways or rough tracks, posing serious hurdles for the movement of personnel and election materials.

Babalola noted that she had personally visited 29 of the 30 local government areas, including Ila and Ifedayo, where recent incidents of kidnapping had raised concern. She said security agencies had assured INEC that robust measures were being put in place to secure those communities before, during and after the poll.

On logistics, the REC revealed that about 75 per cent of required materials had already been received, with non-sensitive items deployed to designated locations. She stressed that even the best logistical planning would be meaningless without a secure environment that encourages voter turnout.

Babalola appealed to security agencies to deepen their presence across identified hotspots and hard-to-reach areas, insisting that INEC remains committed to delivering a free, fair, credible, inclusive and transparent governorship election.

The election will see incumbent governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord seeking a fresh mandate, facing major challenges from Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Congress and Najeem Salaam of the African Democratic Congress, who enjoys the backing of former governor Rauf Aregbesola.