Gov poll: Police lock down Osun, DIG, 30 CPs deployed

The Nigeria Police Force on Thursday said as many as 30 Commissioners of Police would be on duty during the Osun State governorship election, which holds across the state on Saturday.

This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, while addressing journalists in Osogbo, Osun State, on Friday on the police preparations for the governorship poll.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Alliance and the African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam lead the race for the state’s top job.

Iniedu, who said the police commenced the deployment of its personnel three weeks before the poll, said a Deputy Inspector-General of Police would coordinate security activities during the poll.

According to him, over 15,000 police operatives would be on duty during the poll, noting that a police helicopter and drone unit had arrived in the state to conduct area surveillance.

He further said two units of the Mobile Police Force, each comprising over 60 personnel, had been deployed to the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo, the state capital.

Similarly, he said each Local Government Area in the state would have a unit of the Police Mobile Force.

“We have deployed armed mobile policemen to every local government area in the state. So, we have 30 units across 30 local government areas. A unit is about 60 policemen.

“We also have two units of armed mobile policemen attached to the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters in Osogbo here. The men who stay at the local government areas are being coordinated by a Commissioner of Police. There is a Commissioner of Police in each Local Government Area.

“We also have a Deputy Commissioner of Police in each Local Government Area, as well as a Mobile Police Commander and a PMF commander with the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police in each Local Government Area.

“As of today (Thursday), our helicopters and drone units have arrived in Osogbo, and they will be conducting area surveillance from now, during and immediately after the elections.”

The Force PRO also said the Army would cordon off all the border roads leading into Osun State from 12am on Saturday.

“We will be locking down the state. We will not be allowing any vehicular movement apart from those on essential duty, security duties and those going to cast their franchise,” he said.

He advised parents to warn their children against electoral offences, including intimidation, stalking, vote-buying and ballot-box snatching.

He said a mobile court would be in place to try anyone arrested for involvement in electoral offences.

Asked about the details of the weapons the police had recovered from hoodlums in the state, Iniedu said, “We don’t have specific details about the guns we have mopped up, but I know that in Osun State, so far, we have mopped up about 34 illegal firearms, and investigations are ongoing.”

Several police operatives deployed for Saturday’s governorship poll were observed at the State Police Headquarters, moving to their various areas of operation.

Vote-buying claims

Meanwhile, many residents of Osogbo said they received cash from those who claimed to be canvassers of political parties in the state to get their support.

Traders at Oja Ojude Oga, Ota Efun, Igbona and Alekuwodo markets in Osogbo told our correspondents on Thursday that they received a sum of N10,000 each from canvassers of parties fielding candidates in the poll.

A trader who got the money, said the canvassers had earlier sought their cooperation and assurances that they would vote for their candidates.

“They met us earlier and demanded assurances that we would vote for their candidates. Last week, we got N15,000, but on Wednesday, they returned to us and distributed another N10,000.

“They promised us more on Election Day if we vote. But some people refused to take the money. They brought cash,” he said.

Another resident, identified simply as Silifat, who resides in Alekuwodo, Osogbo, said residents of the area also got cash from representatives of political parties.

She said, “We also got money in Alekuwodo. Representatives of some parties approached us with cash and we collected it. They didn’t request for our PVC but begged us to vote for their candidates.”

When asked if his party was engaging in vote-buying, the spokesperson for the Osun APC, Kola Olabisi, said the party was not involved in such an act.

“Vote-buying? Our party does not need to do that before we win. It is a popular party with a strong candidate. We are not involved, ask those in the other parties,” Olabisi said.

Efforts to reach Oladele Bamiji, the spokesperson for the Accord Party, for comments failed as calls did not go through to his mobile line, while a response to a message sent to him was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.

Hoodlums arrested

Meanwhile, some hoodlums, who were said said to be traveling in a vehicle branded in APC colours, were reportedly arrested on Thursday in Ifewara, Osun State, by operatives of the Nigerian Navy.

In a video circulating online, the hoodlums, who were about 12 in number, were seen on their knees facing a wall while the Navy personnel asked them questions.

But Olabisi, during a telephone interview with The PUNCH, said he had not seen the video and promised to react after he had studied the said video.

INEC preaches peace

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday urged political parties and their candidates participating in the governorship election to honour the peace accord they signed and commit themselves to a peaceful poll.

The Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC chairman, Adedayo Oketola, made the call on Thursday while speaking on Morning Express on ADBN TV, amid concerns over rising tensions ahead of the election.

Candidates of political parties contesting in the election on July 30 signed a peace accord organised by the National Peace Committee to ensure a non-violent poll in the state.

A total of 14 political parties signed the accord at an event presided over by the NPC convener, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah.

Oketola recalled how the NPC, in collaboration with INEC, facilitated the accord as a public commitment by political actors to maintain peace and abide by the law before, during and after the election.

He said, “The Peace Accord that was put together by the National Peace Committee in collaboration with INEC wasn’t just a jamboree.

“It is important for all of us to understand that it was a public component by political parties with the people of Osun State, that come what may, we will maintain peace and order and ensure that we maintain discipline and do everything by the law on election day.

“So, it is important for political actors to honour that Peace Accord. That is why it will continue to be relevant. If we know that the Peace Accord means nothing, why are we organising it? So, first, the political parties have made a public commitment. We must honour it.”

Oketola said INEC had conducted a comprehensive assessment of the state ahead of the election and engaged political parties, traditional institutions, voting blocs and civil society organisations over concerns about possible violence.

He, however, acknowledged that tensions had escalated since the commission’s stakeholders’ engagement in the state.

“I concede that there have been tensions in Osun in the run up to today (Thursday),” he said.

He, however, added that INEC had deployed a large team led by its chairman and national commissioners to assess the state’s preparedness for the poll.

According to him, the commission is confident that the election will be conducted in a secure environment, noting that the police had announced the deployment of 15,000 personnel to the state.

He said, “Election will be held in Osun in a very secure environment.”

Oketola also disclosed that INEC had completed the deployment of non-sensitive materials to the local government areas, while the deployment of sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to the local government offices begins on Friday (today).

He said the sensitive materials would subsequently be moved to Registration Area Centres, where officials would camp overnight ahead of Election Day.

“By Election Day, I can bet you that all the 3,700 polling units in Osun State should have the presence of RAC officials by 8am, and by 8.30am, voting should start,” he said.

On the commission’s technology, Oketola said INEC had tested its systems through a mock accreditation exercise and was satisfied with the outcome.

He added that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System had been configured and upgraded, while the commission had increased its backup devices from about 600 to more than 1,300 to address possible technical challenges.

“We are putting in a lot of safeguards, and it can’t be bypassed by anyone. So, it’s been configured, and the election will hold,” he said.

Oketola urged voters to disregard misinformation and disinformation, warning against the generalisation of isolated technical incidents as evidence of a failure of the electoral system.

“If there are glitches in one or two polling units, it is not enough for any political actor to come to town and say that BVAs has failed. No, INEC cannot run an election with an outdated version. We are a serious organisation,” he said.

He further disclosed that the electoral umpire would operate situational rooms in Osogbo and Abuja to monitor the election, with systems allowing officials to track developments at polling units and communicate with presiding officers where necessary.

Oketola said more than 2.3 million registered voters were eligible to participate in the election, urging them to obtain credible information through INEC’s verified communication channels.

He also appealed to voters who observe irregularities to remain calm, avoid confrontation and report such incidents through the appropriate channels.

“If you are in a polling unit and you notice irregularities, first, we would encourage such voters to be calm, don’t confront, don’t resort to self-help,” he said.

Oketola identified vote-buying as one of the major threats to the credibility of elections, warning political actors and voters against attempting to circumvent the law through digital transactions.

“Vote-buying is criminal, it’s against the law, it’s against the Electoral Act. The Electoral Act has provided legal liabilities for both the buyers and the sellers,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to participate actively in the election, stressing that credible elections required the collective efforts of INEC, security agencies, political actors and voters.

“You see, in any election whatsoever, INEC does not have a candidate.

“What we all need to do is to come together, further entrench our democracy, and go out on Election Day,” Oketola said.

1.9m PVCs collected

INEC also disclosed that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards had been collected by registered voters in Osun State ahead of the election.

The commission noted that the figure represents 81.50 per cent of the 2,339,233 registered voters in the state, leaving 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, uncollected.

INEC, in a statement signed by National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna, on Thursday, said the uncollected PVCs had been safely deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The commission said, “Out of the total of 2,339,233 registered voters in the State, 1,906,390 PVCs, representing 81.50 per cent, have been collected.

“The remaining 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, have been safely deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria in line with the Commission’s established practice.”

The commission also disclosed that 6,101 persons who applied for replacement of damaged, defaced or lost PVCs printed downloadable copies of their cards.

“Similarly, it should be noted that some persons with damaged, defaced, or lost PVCs applied for replacement of their cards. A total of 6,101 among those who applied printed downloadable copies of their PVCs,” the commission stated.

INEC added that a polling-unit-by-polling-unit table of the PVCs collected had been published on its website. (Punch )