Sensitive election materials have arrived in Osun State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, with the Independent National Electoral Commission set to deploy ad-hoc personnel from a pool of more than 30,000 National Youth Service Corps members.
INEC Chief Press Secretary, Adedayo Oketola, said 2,339,233 voters are registered in the state, although the latest figure for collected Permanent Voter Cards was not immediately available.
He said sensitive materials, including ballot papers and Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices, are secured at the Central Bank of Nigeria and will be moved to local government areas and Registration Area Centres ahead of the election.
Meanwhile, 25,310 security personnel have been deployed across the state. The figure comprises 15,000 police officers, 10,210 personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and about 100 Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officers.
The NSCDC said additional personnel and specialised units had been deployed across the state’s 30 local government areas to protect voters, election officials, materials and critical infrastructure.
Armed military personnel have also taken over security duties at the Osun INEC headquarters in Osogbo, with three Armoured Personnel Carriers reportedly deployed.
INEC’s Osun spokesman, Musa Olurode, said the commission was fully prepared for Saturday’s election, noting that 12 of the 13 activities on its timetable had been completed.
The Inter-Party Advisory Council has meanwhile urged political actors and security agencies to ensure a peaceful, free and credible election, while warning against inflammatory rhetoric, vote buying, violence and voter intimidation.
