Ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, twenty-one thousand policemen have been deployed for the exercise.
The policemen are deployed to maintain peace and order and to protect INEC facilities and its personnel before, during and after the election.
According to Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, the deployment is not to intimidate anybody but to ensure peaceful process of election and curb violence tendencies.
In his words, the deployment is to deter misguided elements that may threaten the conduct of the election and violate the electoral act and also serves as a strong warning that government is determined to protect the citizens.
He disclosed this during stakeholders’ meeting by Independent National Electoral Commission in Osogbo, the state capital.
According to him, all three senatorial districts, three hundred and thirty-two wards and polling units have been appropriately mapped out and put for the deployment of adequate personnel who will be on the ground.
He said the Police will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone found wanting throughout the period of the exercise to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Also speaking at the event, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, appealed to the candidates to desist from inducing voters and avoid being led by their desperation.
He expressed confident that the election will be peaceful and worth the efforts by relevant agencies towards its success.
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun, Professor Abdulganiy Raji, also gave an update on the preparation of the electoral umpire for the election.
He revealed that polling units have been moved away from controversial areas such as the front of houses of politicians, front of palaces, and religious centres, either to open spaces or public buildings.
According to him, this action is to ensure adequate security and peaceful elections. Flashpoints have been identified and strategies mapped out to resolve issues that can truncate the election process.
Raji also hinted at the conversion of voting points to polling units in a bid to ensure the expansion of voter access to polling units.
He confirmed that all non-sensitive materials to be used in Saturday’s election have been batched to the polling unit level and ready to be conveyed to the various Registration Area Centres.
Raji stated that the commission has concluded the production of maps of all polling units in the state both electronically and hardcopy for ease of movement and location of polling units by electoral officials.
He stressed that poll officials have been prepared for the exercise and ready for deployment, adding that the security personnel in the state have been trained.