With barely five days to Osun State Governorship election, Nigerians and political stakeholders have been assured that the election would be credible.

The assurance was given by Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris and Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahooud Yakubu, while speaking at the “Election Stakeholders’ Forum on the Governorship Election”, organised by the Commission in Osogbo.

Idris assured the people of adequate security before, during and after the election, saying constant forums orgainsed by the Commission ahead such elections will help the police in strategising and providing formidable security.

He said the police, complemented by other security agents would provide the needed security for the election, saying eighteen thousand four hundred and twenty-six police officers would be deployed to Osun for the election.

According to him, arrangements have been concluded to deploy the police personnel, including conventional and PMF units, Intelligence and technical teams to provide security, saying this number excludes the support services to be provided by other security personnel from the Armed Forces, the Immigration Service, the Prisons, the Custom and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to complement the efforts of the police.

He advised politicians and their supporters to desist from actions that may precipitate violence before, during and after the election, saying the police officers deployed for the election had been lectured and educated on electoral conducts, behaviours, laws and offences, and are therefore expected to conduct themselves in a highly ethical manner.

Idris said Federal Government had provided funds for the payment of the officers allowances.

Yakubu, in his address, said INEC had improved on the functionality of the commission’s technological innovations to safeguard the integrity and credibility of elections.

He said INEC would ensure that personnel and election materials arrived promptly at polling units, the smart card readers functioned optimally and that counting of ballots, collation and declaration of results would be prompt, open, transparent.

According to him, the ultimate objective is to ensure the choice of who becomes the next governor of Osun is entirely in the hands of the voters, saying votes will count and only the choice made by the people of Osun and nothing else would determine the outcome of the election.

He said the commission had overcome past challenges associated with elections malpractices in the country, and as the process of election could no longer be corrupted, those that want to subvert it had now made the electorate their target through vote-buying.

The INEC chairman said the commission had reviewed the administration of the polling units to make it difficult for voters to expose their marked ballot papers to intending vote-buyers.

He said though people could not be banned from taking their cell phones to the polling units because it would be difficult for them to take pictures and report malpractices to INEC as requested of the people, but the electorate from point of accreditation and voting, would not be allowed to be with his/her cell phones.