The Nigeria Police Force has stepped up security preparations ahead of Saturday’s Osun State governorship election, deploying more than 15,000 personnel and 30 Commissioners of Police across the state.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed the deployment while briefing journalists in Osogbo on the police strategy for ensuring a peaceful and secure election.
According to Iniedu, a Deputy Inspector-General of Police will coordinate the overall security operation, while Commissioners of Police will oversee security arrangements across the state’s 30 local government areas.
He said the police began deploying personnel approximately three weeks before the election and had strengthened its surveillance capabilities with the arrival of a police helicopter and drone unit in Osogbo.
The aerial assets, he explained, would be used to monitor developments across the state before, during and immediately after the election.
Heavy security presence across the state
The police said every local government area would have a unit of the Police Mobile Force, with each unit comprising about 60 officers.
In addition, two Mobile Police Force units have been stationed at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo to protect electoral materials and facilities.
Iniedu said each local government area would also have a Commissioner of Police and a Deputy Commissioner of Police, alongside commanders responsible for Mobile Police Force operations.
“We have deployed armed mobile policemen to every local government area in the state. So, we have 30 units across 30 local government areas,” he said.
The police spokesperson added that security personnel would maintain a strong presence throughout the election period to prevent violence, intimidation and other electoral offences.
Movement restrictions
As part of the security arrangements, the police announced plans to restrict vehicular movement into and within Osun State on Election Day.
According to Iniedu, the Army would secure the major border routes into the state from midnight on Saturday.
He explained that movement would generally be restricted, with exceptions for people performing essential duties, security personnel and eligible voters travelling to polling locations.
The police also warned parents and guardians to discourage young people from engaging in electoral offences, including intimidation, stalking, vote-buying and ballot-box snatching.
A mobile court is expected to operate during the election period to facilitate the prosecution of individuals arrested for electoral offences.
Police recover illegal firearms
The Force also disclosed that security agencies had recovered about 34 illegal firearms in Osun State as part of efforts to prevent violence during the election.
Iniedu said investigations into the recovered weapons were continuing, although he did not provide details of the types of firearms seized.
Meanwhile, several police personnel deployed for the election were seen at the Osun State Police Command headquarters preparing to move to their assigned locations.
Allegations of vote-buying emerge
The heightened security preparations came amid allegations of vote-buying in parts of Osogbo.
Some traders and residents in Oja Ojude Oga, Ota Efun, Igbona and Alekuwodo markets claimed that individuals presenting themselves as political party canvassers had distributed cash to residents in an attempt to secure their support.
One trader alleged that residents had previously received N15,000 and were later given another N10,000.
The trader said the individuals distributing the money had asked for assurances that recipients would support their candidates and allegedly promised additional payments on Election Day.
Another resident of Alekuwodo, identified as Silifat, also claimed that representatives of political parties had distributed money in the area.
She said the recipients were not asked to produce their Permanent Voter Cards but were encouraged to vote for particular candidates.
The allegations could not be independently verified.
The spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress in Osun, Kola Olabisi, denied that his party was involved in vote-buying.
He said the APC had no need to purchase votes because of the popularity of the party and its candidate, while challenging other political parties to account for their activities.
Efforts to obtain comments from the spokesperson of the Accord Party, Oladele Bamiji, were unsuccessful at the time of filing the report.
Suspected hoodlums arrested
In a separate development, operatives of the Nigerian Navy reportedly arrested a group of suspected hoodlums in Ifewara, Osun State.
The suspects, numbering about 12, were reportedly travelling in a vehicle bearing APC colours when they were apprehended.
A video circulating online showed the men kneeling and facing a wall while Navy personnel questioned them.
Olabisi said he had not seen the video and therefore could not immediately comment on the incident. He promised to respond after reviewing the footage.
### INEC urges candidates to respect peace accord
The Independent National Electoral Commission has meanwhile called on political parties and their candidates to uphold the peace agreement they signed ahead of the election.
The Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the INEC Chairman, Adedayo Oketola, made the appeal during an interview on ADBN TV.
Fourteen political parties and their candidates signed a peace accord on July 30 under the auspices of the National Peace Committee, chaired by the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah.
Oketola described the accord as a public commitment by political actors to conduct themselves peacefully and respect the law before, during and after the election.
He acknowledged that political tensions had increased in the state but said INEC had undertaken extensive consultations with political parties, traditional institutions, voting blocs and civil society organisations as part of its preparations.
The commission, he said, remained confident that the election could be conducted in a secure environment.
Electoral materials deployed
INEC also said it had completed the distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to the state’s local government areas.
The commission said sensitive materials would be moved from Central Bank of Nigeria vaults to local government offices before being transported to Registration Area Centres, where election officials would stay overnight ahead of polling.
Oketola expressed confidence that officials would be present at all 3,700 polling units by 8am on Election Day, with voting expected to begin shortly afterwards.
He also disclosed that INEC had tested its electoral technology through a mock accreditation exercise.
According to him, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System has been configured and upgraded, while the commission has increased the number of backup devices from approximately 600 to more than 1,300.
He urged voters and political actors not to exaggerate isolated technical problems or use them to discredit the entire electoral process.
INEC will also operate situation rooms in Osogbo and Abuja to monitor developments at polling units and maintain communication with election officials.
More than 2.3 million voters eligible
INEC said more than 2.3 million registered voters are eligible to participate in the election.
The commission urged voters to rely on its verified communication channels for accurate information and advised anyone who witnesses irregularities to remain calm and report the incident through the appropriate authorities.
Oketola particularly warned against vote-buying, stressing that both the person offering money and the person accepting it could face legal consequences under the Electoral Act.
He called on voters to participate peacefully and urged political parties and security agencies to work together to protect the integrity of the election.
1.9 million PVCs collected
INEC disclosed that 1,906,390 Permanent Voter Cards have been collected by registered voters in Osun State.
The figure represents 81.50 per cent of the state’s 2,339,233 registered voters.
According to the commission, 426,842 PVCs, representing 18.50 per cent of registered voters, remained uncollected and had been deposited with the Central Bank of Nigeria in accordance with established procedures.
INEC also reported that 6,101 people who applied to replace damaged, defaced or lost PVCs had printed downloadable copies of their cards.
The commission said it had published a polling-unit-by-polling-unit breakdown of collected PVCs on its official platform.
With security agencies increasing their presence and INEC finalising its logistical preparations, attention is now focused on Saturday’s election and whether the measures put in place will ensure a peaceful, transparent and credible exercise across Osun State.