There was tension in Osun State on Saturday as police operatives sealed off the headquarters of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC) and reportedly arrested some staff members on election duty. The chairman of the commission, Hashim Abioye, raised the alarm in a video shared on OSSIEC’s official X page.
Abioye expressed concern over the actions of the police, stating that several electoral officials were arrested while performing their duties. He questioned the legality of the arrests, noting that no court order justified such actions.
“I don’t know on whose order the police acted because there is no court order that warranted the arrest of our officials,” he said.
Despite the setback, Abioye assured voters that the election would proceed smoothly, as necessary materials had been deployed to affected polling units.
The OSSIEC chairman also revealed that the police had sealed off the commission’s head office, preventing access to accreditation materials meant for journalists covering the election.
“So far, so good. The reports have been positive, and the conduct of the election has been very smooth and peaceful, contrary to the false alarm raised by the police,” he said.
He commended voters for turning out to exercise their democratic rights and assured them that the electoral process remained on track.
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Abioye apologized to journalists for the accreditation challenges they faced, blaming the situation on the police blockade. He explained that the commission had planned to provide identification tags and jackets for media personnel but could not access them due to the police action.
“For our people in the media community, I want to apologize for the inadequacy of tags and jackets because we were prevented from accessing them,” he stated.
Despite the disruptions, Abioye reassured voters that OSSIEC had made adequate arrangements to ensure the smooth conduct of the election. He emphasized that there were enough election materials on the ground to replace any that were inaccessible due to the police action.
The police have yet to issue an official statement regarding their actions at the OSSIEC headquarters or the reported arrests of electoral staff. Meanwhile, political observers and civil society organizations are monitoring the situation closely, urging security agencies to act within the law to prevent any interference with the democratic process. have enough but the police sealed our office and that was not warranted at all.”