The Nigeria Police Force has deployed more than 15,000 personnel across Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, with 30 Commissioners of Police assigned to coordinate security operations across the state’s 30 local government areas.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed the deployment while briefing journalists in Osogbo on Thursday.
A Deputy Inspector-General of Police will coordinate the overall security operation, while each local government area will have a Police Mobile Force unit, a Commissioner of Police, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and senior mobile police commanders.
The police have also deployed a helicopter and drone units for aerial surveillance before, during and immediately after the election.
Iniedu said the state would effectively be locked down from midnight on Saturday, with vehicular movement restricted to essential services, security personnel and voters travelling to cast their ballots.
The Army will also cordon off border roads leading into Osun State as part of measures to prevent the movement of criminal elements and weapons during the election.
The police said they had so far recovered 34 illegal firearms in the state, while investigations into the weapons and their owners were continuing.
Vote-buying allegations emerge
The heightened security comes amid allegations of vote-buying in parts of Osogbo.
Residents and traders in Oja Ojude Oga, Ota Efun, Igbona and Alekuwodo markets told The PUNCH that political canvassers had distributed cash to voters.
Some residents reportedly received N10,000, while one trader said an earlier payment of N15,000 had been followed by another N10,000.
The Osun APC spokesperson, Kola Olabisi, denied that his party was involved in vote-buying, saying the party did not need to buy votes to win.
The Accord Party spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
The Independent National Electoral Commission warned that vote-buying remains a criminal offence under the Electoral Act and that both buyers and sellers could face legal consequences.
INEC assures voters of secure election
INEC urged political parties and candidates to honour the peace accord signed ahead of the election and avoid actions capable of triggering violence.
The commission said it had assessed the security situation in the state and engaged political parties, traditional institutions, voting blocs and civil society groups.
INEC also said more than 2.3 million registered voters are eligible to participate in the election across 3,700 polling units.
The commission has upgraded the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and increased its backup devices from about 600 to more than 1,300.
INEC said its officials would monitor the election through situational rooms in Osogbo and Abuja.
1.9 million PVCs collected
INEC disclosed that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards have been collected in Osun, representing 81.50 per cent of the state’s 2,339,233 registered voters.
A total of 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent, remain uncollected and have been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The commission also said 6,101 voters who applied to replace damaged, defaced or lost PVCs had printed downloadable copies of their cards.
The Osun governorship election is expected to feature a closely contested race involving Governor Ademola Adeleke of the Accord Party, Bola Oyebamiji of the All Progressives Alliance and African Democratic Congress candidate Najeem Salaam, among others.
