Again, INEC Fails to Hold Credible Election in Osun as Gunmen Hijack Process

Segun Atanda/

 

On September 22, the governorship election at three polling units won by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Orolu Local Government Area of Osun State was cancelled because thugs hijacked election materials, says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a statement.

The story remains the same today as what happened at Polling Units 001 in Kajola Village, 004 in Idi Iya, and 003 in Gbogbo Primary School on September 22 has again been reported by voters in the area today.

There were reports of gunmen snatching voters cards and chasing them away while security agents allegedly prevented journalists and election monitors from moving into the centres.

INEC also complained about the arrest and prevention of accredited journalists and observers on its Twitter page, promising to take the matter up with the security agencies.

An AIT reporter, Joseph Adesina, said that a security agent told him that he should leave a polling unit at Kajola Village in Orolu because his security could not be guaranteed.

The reporter said that only APC agent was seen at the polling unit with 393 prospective voters, which is more than other units in Orolu.

Thugs were seen screening voters before they were allowed to visit polling units.

NewsmakersNG learnt that those without a white handkerchief distributed to members of a particular party were beaten and sent back after their PVCs were confiscated.

A nursing mother, Ruka Ladosu, was injured by thugs on her way to vote at Gbogbo Ward 9, Unit 003.

An elderly woman said that voters were sent away from their homes by thugs working for politicians who didn’t want them to vote.

The battlegrounds in today’s supplementary elections are in Ife, Orolu, and Osogbo.

PDP led in Orolu in the last election with 7, 776 votes against APC’s 5, 442, and APC led in Osogbo with 23, 379 against PDP’s 14, 499.

Three of the seven units for the supplementary election are in Ife with a total of 1,314 votes. Ife is the stronghold of SDP candidate, Dr Iyiola Omisore, who came third in the overall polls and has teamed up with APC today. In the last election, he scored 20, 494 votes in Ife Central alone, where APC trailed with 6, 957 votes and PDP – 3, 200.

Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of PDP in Osun, Senator Ademola Adeleke has described today’s exercise as a coup and not an election.

He said that supporters of the PDP were being denied access to ballot papers.

“What is happening in Osun State now is a not an election. What we have is a coup. That is what we are witnessing now.

“Our supporters are being harassed and are not allowed to vote at all. Let the whole world know that this is not the democracy,” he said.

The police authorities have, however, debunked allegations of harassment against their men. Rather, they commended their officers for arresting 16 PDP members wearing customised INEC tags, face cap and jackets with the inscription of “INEC Osun 2018 Election Observer”.

The police identified one of those arrested as Moshood Adejare, a PDP House of Representatives aspirant in Orolu Federal Constituency, who was allegedly trying to gain access to restricted areas during the election.

“Police team on stop and search duties at Orolu intercepted vehicles with 16 persons on board in possession of customized INEC tags, face cap and jackets with the inscription of “INEC Osun 2018 Election Observer” and PDP membership cards, The suspects are using the items to have easy access to restricted areas meant for personnel with due accreditation”, says Superintendent Folasade Odoro, the Police Public Relations Officer in the DIG Operations Office.

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