The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has disclosed that 2,339,233 registered voters will participate in the August 15 governorship election in Osun State.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure during a courtesy visit to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, at the commencement of his five-day readiness assessment tour of the state ahead of the poll.

According to him, the registered voters are spread across 3,763 polling units in 332 registration areas covering the state’s 30 local government areas.

Amupitan described the election as a critical test for the commission ahead of the 2027 general election, saying every necessary arrangement was being put in place to ensure a credible, peaceful and transparent exercise.

“The Osun governorship election is a very important election because of its proximity to the 2027 general election. We are determined to ensure that the process is free, fair and credible,” he said.

The INEC chairman said the commission would deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for voter accreditation, stressing that only accredited voters would be allowed to cast their ballots.

He also reassured stakeholders that the commission remained committed to conducting an election that reflected the wishes of the electorate.

Amupitan, who led a delegation of National Commissioners, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Osun State and other senior officials of the commission to the palace, appealed to traditional rulers to mobilise support for peaceful conduct before, during and after the election.

He urged them to prevail on politicians and their supporters to shun violence, vote-buying and other electoral offences capable of undermining the credibility of the poll.

“The blood of one innocent person is not worth a governorship election. Nobody should be killed, threatened or intimidated because of an election,” he said.

The INEC chairman also warned against the spread of misinformation and disinformation, including the misuse of artificial intelligence to circulate fake election results and misleading information capable of causing public anxiety.

Responding, the Ooni of Ife commended the INEC chairman for engaging traditional rulers ahead of the election but expressed concern over the growing political tension in the state.

The monarch urged the electoral umpire to remain impartial and ensure that the election was free, fair and acceptable to all stakeholders.

The Supreme Court has affirmed the June 18 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, upholding the nomination of Governor Abiodun Oyebanji as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the June 20 governorship election in Ekiti State.

A five-member panel of the apex court held, in a unanimous judgment on Friday, that the appeal filed by an aggrieved governorship aspirant of the APC, Mrs. Abimbola Olawumi, was unmeritorious and proceeded to dismiss it.

In its judgment,the Supreme Court, among others, faulted the competence of the appeal filed by Mrs. Olawumi and concluded that the reliefs she sought could not be granted.

Mrs. Olawumi had, among others, queried the process leading to Oyebanji’s nomination and prayed the court to void the outcome of the APC’s governorship primary on the grounds that she was allegedly prevented from participating as an aspirant.

Justice Mohammed Idris, who prepared and read the lead judgment of the Supreme Court upheld the objections raised against the competence of some applications filed by the appellant on July 16 and 23 to regularise her notice of appeal and the appellant’s brief of arguments.

Justice Idris found that the written address accompanying the application of July 16 was not signed and that its pagination also exceeded the number allowed under Order 4 Rule 1 of the Supreme Court’s Rules.

The judge proceeded to strike out both applications and the accompanying written addresses.

He also found that grounds one, two and three of the appeal are incompetent having not emanate from the decision of the lower court.

Justice Idris held that since the three grounds were incompetent, the issues distilled from them were also incompetent and are liable to be struck out.

In determining the surviving grounds four, five and six and issues three and four distilled from them, Justice Idris held that the lower court was not in error when it held that Mrs. Olawumi’s brief was incompetent despite a pending application to regularise it.

He also upheld the lower court’s decision in refusing to invoke its power under Section 15 of the Court of Appeal Act to hearing Mrs. Olawumi’s originating summons as a court of first instance as sought by the appellant.

The judge said the lower court could not have invoked its powers under Section 15 of its Act to hear the hear the substantive originating summons having affirmed the finding of the Federal High Court that the suit was statute barred.

Justice Idris further held that the Supreme Court could not also invoke its power under Section 22 of the Supreme Court Act to hear the substantive originating summons as sought by the appellant because the 180 days provided in the Constitution for the determination of pre-election cases has lapsed.

Jurgen Klopp has been officially named the new head coach of the German national team, taking the helm after a disappointing 2026 World Cup campaign.

The 56-year-old former Liverpool manager has signed a four-year contract, positioning him to lead Germany through the 2028 European Championship and the 2030 World Cup.

Klopp acknowledged the significant challenge ahead, as the national side has not won a World Cup knockout match since lifting the trophy in 2014.

However, the celebrated coach immediately set firm boundaries during his unveiling, issuing a stern warning to the media and public regarding his family’s privacy.

His comments come in the wake of Germany’s shock exit from the 2026 World Cup, where Paraguay eliminated them on penalties in the Round of 32.

Eager to prevent a similar situation, Klopp made his position clear. “I’m not doing this job for myself. I’m doing it for you,” he stated.

“I’m taking this job even though I’ve seen how you’ve treated Julian Nagelsmann… The day you don’t want me anymore, you say so and I’m gone, without severance pay.”

He continued with a direct ultimatum: “If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace, I’m gone. Criticise me if something doesn’t work.

“I’m happy to work on it. It’s all about the job. Jurgen Klopp doesn’t have a career after the national team. Ideally, this is the highlight of my career.”

Klopp was the frontrunner for the position as soon as Nagelsmann stepped down, and he confirmed that discussions with the German FA (DFB) progressed rapidly.