Hours to the Governorship, State House of Assembly elections, there will not be Oro festivities in Lagos State on Saturday.

This is according to Nigeria Police Force which assured voters in Lagos State, maintaining there is no threat to the governorship and state assembly elections billed for that day.

Reports on social media claimed that the Oro festival in some parts of the state will take place on Saturday on the same day as the elections.

The development triggered reactions from Nigerians most of whom lamented the situation.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said it is only one part of the state that conducted Oro which he confirmed ended on Friday.

“When the news went viral that there will be Oro between Wednesday and Thursday, the major city that is concerned is Ikate land where we have Kabiyesi Oba Elegushi and I personally put a call to Kayesi to find out what is the situation.

“I am a Yoruba man, and I know what it is when they say they will have Oro cult or Oro festival. I know definitely many people will not be allowed to move particularly women and he clarified and said the Oro festival will end today (Friday). So, this means it’s not a threat to the electoral process in any way because the election is tomorrow (Saturday).

“I think if the Oro is over today, that settles it. So, according to the information I have from Lagos State, the Oro ends today Friday and the election is tomorrow. So, I don’t think it is a threat to the electoral process in any way,” Adejobi said.

He said he is not aware that there are other communities in the state planning on doing the Oro festival on election day and as such, there is nothing to worry about.

He, however, said that if some people insist on going on with such activity on election day, the police will also deal with the situation.

Orò Festival is an event celebrated by towns and settlements of Yoruba origin. It is an annual traditional ceremony that is patriarchal in nature, as it is only celebrated by male descendants who are paternal natives of the specific locations where the event is taking place.

During the festival, females and non-natives stay indoors as oral history has it that Orò must not be seen by women and non-participating people.

Adejobi says police authorities in Lagos State are investigating alleged inciteful comments credited to Musiliu Akinsanya better known as MC Oluomo.

In a viral video, MC Oluomo who is the Chairman of the Lagos State Parks Management Committee, threatened Igbos who do not vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming governorship and House of Assembly polls.

While he came under heavy criticism for the comment, MC Oluomo later cleared the air, saying his remark was a playful one and he was referring to a sister called “Iya Chukwudi” and not Igbos in Lagos.

Hours after that, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) said the video should be regarded as a “joke” just as MC Oluomo alluded to but noted that the Lagos State Police Command is investigating the matter.

“This evening, I think the person involved MC Oluomo – I saw the video again with the woman whose name was mentioned in the earlier video – debunking that the threat is not true and it was just a joke he was making with a particular woman and the woman too came up to say it was a joke,” he said on Channels Television’s election show The 2023 Verdict on Friday.

“So, let us take it for a joke like he has said. But nobody has the right to tell Nigerians not to come out and vote. It is not allowed. It is not possible; not proper. But he has come out to debunk that it is not true. So, let us leave it that way – that it is not true and a joke within one or two persons in that area at that particular point in time. Even the CP of Lagos was on a television programme this afternoon to address that if it is true, they are investigating that matter.”

He urged Lagosians to disregard any form of threat and “come out to vote” in Saturday’s polls.

“So, we should not be flogging it,” he said, maintaining that if the threat is true, the security agency is “capable” and “know what to do”.