Osun 2018: Police To Deploy 10,000 Officers To Monitor Poll, As NGOs Sensitise Youths

By Ayobami Agboola, Osogbo

The Commissioner of Police in Osun, Mr Fimihan Adeoye has said no fewer than 10, 000 police officers would be deployed for the Sept. 22 governorship election in the state.

Adeoye made disclosure in Osogbo on Monday at a stakeholders retreat tagged ‘‘Vote Not Fight.’’

He was represented by Mr Mufutau Ayinde, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Charge of Operations.

Adeoye said the officers would be drawn from the Police Mobile Force, Anti-Kidnapping Unit and Explosives Ordnance Detection Unit.

The commissioner of police, who noted that the command had identified crisis-prone areas in the state, said adequate strategy had been put in place to ensure free and fair election.

“There is no cause for alarm for the election. We are going to ensure zero tolerance for violence before, during and after the election.

‘‘Politics is not warfare but rather it is a service to humanity and that is why everyone must abide by the rules,’’ Adeoye said.

Also speaking, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, said INEC was ready for the conduct of the election.

Agbaje said the card readers that would be used for the election had been enhanced to perform optimally, adding that incidence forms would not be used.

Represented by Mr Stephen Akinojewande, INEC’s Head of Department of Voters Education and Publicity, Agbaje urged the electorate to get their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

While disclosing that more than 641,592 PVCs were yet to be collected, Akinojewande urged politicians to abide by the rules of the game.

In his remarks, the Executive Director, Kimpact Development Initiative, Mr Bukola Idowu the programme was organised to sensitise the youths who according to are the largest number of registered voters on the need to exercise their civic responsibility without violence.

Idowu noted that the voting is about game and not violence, adding that election should not be taken as a do or die affairs.

“We are here today to sensitise our youths on the need to come out en masses and cast their vote without any violence. Election is not about violence is about change of government or put new people in position.

“Why do we need to fight, why do we need to burn houses or destroy properties, why do we need to disturb the whole peace of the state. That is why we came up with the new slogan  ” Vote not Fight, Election No be War”,

“We are trying to educate and sensitise people that without violence we can change out government and we can put new people in position and that is why we are training each local government coordinators so as to bring the message to every nooks and crannies of the state that come Sept 22, 2018 we must come out en masses and cast our vote for the candidate of our choice.

Echoing a similar view, Mr Ben Aga, the National Democratic Institute Project Manager, said the retreat was organised to sensitise political stakeholders on the need for free and fair election.

Aga also urged youths to shun thuggery before, during and after the election.

The retreat was organised by two non-governmental organisations, Young Stars Development Initiative and Kimpact Development Initiative.

The retreat was also supported by the National Democratic Institute, United States Agency for International Development and UKaid.